Elaine

Many people who shop for life insurance prefer the rates of term life as opposed to whole life. However some view the money as a waste if they are young and expect to outlive the coverage. Return of premium life insurance or ROP life insurance allows them an alternative, a return of all their premiums if they outlive the coverage.

Return of Premium Term Life Insurance is a concept where if you outlive your term life policy the insurance carrier returns all of your premiums paid in. Traditional term life is the most cost effective way to purchase life insurance. Cash Value insurance, on the other hand, means paying higher premiums as the contract pays at death. Return of Premium or ROP somewhat splits the two in the middle.

ROP typically costs 25-50% more than a traditional term life insurance policy. The key is to have your agent evaluate the rate of return on the extra premium cost for the ROP policy. For example, a healthy 35 year old male can purchase one million dollars of coverage on a level premium 30 year guarantee for about $830 per year. The ROP premium for the same is $1440. So you are paying an extra $610 per year for Return of all your premiums paid in if you outlive the term. Well, what is your rate of return re paying $610 per year for a return of $1440 x 30 years or $43200. It is 5.08% net.

In any case, this is not a bad solution if it can fit into your budget. Return of all premiums paid in are not taxable as it is a return of your principal. Consider consulting an agent that has the product savvy and software to present the facts to help you make a prudent decision. Get knowledgable quotes and comparisons from the site below.

www.danielagency.com

Alan Daniel has over 20 years experience selling life insurance and saving consumers money.

If you exercise often, you'll begin to build your strength and enhance your endurance in the muscle groups used in downhill skiing. You'll be preparing yourself for the rigors of skiing in the expert zones where both staying power and explosive power are of the utmost importance. First, well get into the why and when you need to exercise, before moving onto the five essential elements of ski-specific exercising.

The ultimate body for an expert skier is powerful, from strong ankles to strong shoulders, and every finely-tuned muscle in between. Remember the last time you watched someone effortlessly weave through a mogul field and wondered, "How does he do that?" It's partly due to practice, and partly to the body awareness and balance that strength training provides. The expert skier, who is physically strong, instinctively cues every part of his or her body. A fit body is like a well-tuned sports car. It handles effortlessly, acting on subtle intuitions.

Skiing requires a number of athletic abilities including technical, physical, and mental skills. This article is all about the physical requirements of expert skiing. Future articles will deal with the technical aspects of all-terrain skiing, as well as establishing the right mind set. But first, to ski strong you need to be strong.

Why do ski exercises?

If you think skiing exercises are just for serious skiers, think again. Strong muscles improve every skier's performance, whether he or she is a beginner, intermediate, advanced, or expert skier. For those who feel theyve reached a plateau in their skiing ability, ski exercises may provide the boost you need to reach the next level.

Few sports are as physically demanding as downhill skiing, especially skiing on moguls, in trees, and down steeps. Yet, many skiers hit the slopes after little or no training in the preseason. They pay for it with sore muscles, but that's only the beginning. The lack of good physical fitness also increases the chances of injury. The most common ski injuries are joint related, and the best way to protect joints is by building muscle. Strong muscles stabilize your joints and, in turn, enable you to control your skis.

In light of the above, this article focuses on building the muscle groups around the joints that skiing taxes the most, including the knees, hips, and ankles. For the knee and ankle joints, well be dealing with the upper leg muscles, including the quads and hamstrings, as well as the lower leg muscles, most noticeably the calves and Achilles tendons. For the hip joints, well be concerned with the core, namely, the hip flexors, glutes, abdominals, groin, and lower back muscles.

Doing the downhill skiing exercises on a regular basis will make your skiing a lot easier, as well as take your skill set to the next level, because you will:

• Build muscle strength in your legs, core, and upper body
• Enhance muscle endurance and staying power for those long runs that never seem to end
• Increase your cardiovascular endurance so you can ski all day long
• Improve your stability and balance in all types of terrain and snow conditions
• Help your foot-to-foot quickness in the tight, tree runs
• Add explosive power for those short, intensive bursts in the mogul fields
• Avoid sore muscles, injuries, and spills

When should you do ski exercises?

Exercising can be done any time you feel like it. However, in the context of the sport of downhill skiing, I recommend you begin exercising at home, two to three months prior to the start of the ski season. If your season kicks off in December, try to begin your preseason conditioning program in late September.

Exercising in the Preseason

However, if youre already involved in a ski-related conditioning program during the summer months, youll be able to shorten youre fall program from three months to about six weeks. In addition, you should do your ski exercises on three nonconsecutive days each week. This will allow 48 hours between successive work-outs. The muscle groups will have plenty of time to recover.

Does this seem like a lot of work? At first, it will be. But after your first runs of the season, you'll be amazed at how much easier it is to link smooth, short-radius turns from top-to-bottom, all day long. Youll look back up the hill and smile, knowing that your exercise program in the fall was well worth the effort. You will have cleared the first hurdle on the road to expert skiing. Physically, you will now be much stronger!

Exercising during the Season

Strenuous activities like downhill skiing, especially at the expert level, promote tightness and inflexibility in the muscle groups. Therefore, stretching before and after skiing will keep you flexible and help prevent common injuries. Should you do the ski exercises after the season starts?

Yes, definitely. After the season starts you can catch up and get in sync by doing the exercises during the week when youre not out skiing. If you ski on Saturday and/or Sunday, do the skiing exercises on Tuesdays and Thursdays. By exercising throughout the season, as well as skiing, youll accelerate the strength building process, and your performance will show a marked improvement.

Exercising in the Postseason

By exercising in the postseason you will maintain your fitness level that you worked hard to implement in the preseason. Aspiring expert skiers need to impart continuity in their conditioning programs throughout the year. Once you become strong, you need to stay strong.

In addition, by participating in a ski-related exercise program from June to September, youll be able to ramp up much more quickly in the fall. The summer is also a good time to improve your cardiovascular endurance.

The Five Essentials of Ski-Specific Exercising

Flexibility, cardio, strength, balance, and power are the five essential elements for the expert skier to master. Lets consider each one of these requirements in turn.

Flexibility: Your range of motion or mobility is of prime importance. Stretching to maintain muscle elasticity, which decreases with age, is vital for skiing. Stretching for skiers will not be covered here, as we have already dealt with this subject in a previous article entitled Ski Fitness for Recreational Skiers.

Cardiovascular Endurance: Aerobic capacity is very important to skiers so they have the stamina to ski in the expert zones, and the endurance to ski all day long. If you wish to improve your cardiovascular fitness, try one of the following activities on three nonconsecutive days per week. Perhaps it would be best to do your cardiovascular routine on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and your strength, balance, and power exercises on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

• Lap swimming, 25 laps to begin with, increase to 50 laps
• Brisk walking for at least 30 minutes, preferably 45 minutes
• Jogging, 15 to 20 minutes, but no more
• Rowing machine, 15 to 20 minutes
• Treadmill, 15 to 20 minutes
• Cross-country skiing
• Cycling, short sprints are best
• Inline skating, long distances and short sprints are best

Strength and Endurance: Muscular strength improves the expert skier's ability to relax, yet still maintain control, and to handle the quick adjustments needed in all-terrain skiing. The movements in alpine skiing include all the major muscle groups, so total body muscular strength is of prime importance. You'll want to do exercises that strengthen your entire body.

With this in mind, target the following ski exercises and muscle groups:

• Essential exercises for the legs - quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, calves, and ankles
• Essential exercises for the center abdominals, hip flexors, glutei, and lower back

Stability and Balance: Why should you care about balance? Well, for starters, its the basic skill needed in practically every sport. Changing your center of gravity to match your moves is the key to efficiency in sport. Good balance can help you keep your form when you encounter changing terrain and snow conditions. The result is better skiing and fewer spills.

Slight deviations in terrain often require subtle adjustments in your balance to avoid injury. To enhance your stability and balance, target the following muscle groups:

• Essential exercises for the center abdominals, hip flexors, glutei, and lower back

Fortunately, the exercises that help improve stability and balance work to build muscle strength and endurance in the core, all at the same time. This can be seen if you look back at the previous topic, Strength and Endurance.

Power and Quickness: To improve your reflexes and foot-to-foot quickness, you need dynamic, ski-specific drills from lateral training that simulate the actual movements you do on the ski hill. With this in mind, weve included five jumping exercises, which are also called plyometrics, as the essential exercises to improve your foot-to-foot quickness and explosive power.

Plyometrics are commonly referred to as explosive types of exercise drills, and are often used in conditioning programs for elite skiers because the combination of squatting with weights and lateral jumps, sprints, or quickness drills, develops the leg and hip power necessary for high performance skiing.

Before you Start

Caution must be exercised whenever beginning any conditioning program. Use an exercise regimen thats appropriate for your body type and your present level of conditioning. Please consult with your physician, if you suspect that this ski-specific program is not suitable for you at the present time.

About the Author

Jim Safianuk is a certified ski instructor and writer of the downhill skiing lessons in the course Skills of the Expert Skier. Learn the skiing exercises in Lesson #3 so you can build your strength and ski pain free until the lifts close. Click here to find out more about their ski exercises: http://www.becomeanexpertskier.com/

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are commonly seen in autoimmune diseases. While a positive ANA is not diagnostic of an autoimmune condition, it is seen often in diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis, Sjogrens disease, polymyositis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Roughly 90 per cent of people with SLE will be ANA positive at some time during the course of their illness.

Who and where the ANA is performed is critically important. Many expert rheumatologists will have an office lab that is skilled in performing the ANA test properly. Often, commercial laboratories will have staff people who are not as experienced in ANA interpretation.

The ANA is a screening test that is very sensitive for the diagnosis of SLE. On the flip side, though, it is associated with many false positive test results, particularly when the ANA is at a low level. Usually, ANA levels of 1:80 or lower have less significance than higher levels do. However, the interpretation of the ANA must be made in combination with the patients history, physical examination, and other information in order to make a proper diagnosis.

ANAs also have patterns. These patterns sometimes point towards a diagnosis but are usually not specific. One pattern that seems to be relatively specific is the anti-centromere pattern which is seen in conditions such as systemic sclerosis or limited cutaneous sclerosis. The nucleolar pattern is also associated with Raynauds phenomenon and systemic sclerosis. Other patterns such as diffuse or speckled are not very specific. Rarely, a rim or peripheral pattern may be seen in patients with SLE.

If a patient has a positive ANA and other clinical signs, then more specific laboratory testing is required. Tests for these more specific antigens (proteins) are usually performed using what is called the ELISA technique. Antibodies to double-stranded DNA are fairly specific for SLE since 70 per cent of patients with SLE will have antibodies to double-stranded DNA at some point during their illness. High levels of antibodies to double-stranded DNA indicate more severe disease and also a higher likelihood of kidney disease. Measurements of antibodies to double stranded DNA change with disease activity so that this measurement should be repeated for monitoring purposes.

Anti-Sm antibody (anti-Smith) also is specific for SLE but is present in only about 30 per cent of patients with the disease. RNP antibodies are seen in patients who have a condition known as mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD).

Antibodies to SSA and SSB (also known as Ro and La) can be seen with primary Sjogrens disease and SLE.

Other useful tests are antihistone antibodies which are seen with drug-induced lupus, anti-Scl-70 which is seen in systemic sclerosis, and anti-Jo-1 which is seen with dermatomyositis.

If these specific antibodies are performed as a quantitative measure, meaning a number representing the amount of antibody is given, then it is often useful to repeat these tests for monitoring purposes.

Where these more specific tests are performed is again important. If done in a laboratory where skilled technicians are performing the tests, then the reliability is much higher than if they are performed in a general commercial laboratory. Commercial laboratories handle a tremendous amount of volume as well and there have been instances when wrong results are given because of a mix up with specimens.

Nathan Wei, MD, FACP, FACR is a rheumatologist and Director of the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland (http://www.aocm.org). He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and consultant to the National Institutes of Health. For more info: Arthritis Treatment

The GED test is grueling. A timed 7.5-hour test, it's a thinking marathon, and GED students should prepare for the test just like a runner would get ready for a challenging athletic event.

For people who are accustomed to working on their feet and moving around all day, just sitting in one place hour after hour is a very tough challenge. So it's important that GED test candidates prepare their bodies and minds for sitting still and concentrating over a long period of time.

Here are some ways to prepare for the GED thinking marathon:

Train your Brain: Make sure your GED test preparation includes periodic lengthy study sessions -- six, seven or even eight hours at a stretch -- to give yourself experience with sitting and thinking over long time periods. Just as a marathon runner accustoms the body to long distances, you'll need to practice and develop concentration techniques to maneuver successfully through the long-distance GED test.

Pace & Persevere: The competitor who starts a 26-mile race on a sprint seldom finishes the race. But smart marathoners understand pacing, energy preservation and perseverance. So smart GED test candidates need to determine how to pace themselves over the full test course -- mentally, physically and energetically.

Take some practice tests that approximate the test time. This will give you real-time experience with timing, pacing and alert you to obstacles, along with the perseverance techniques it takes to overcome them.

Avoid Brain Drain: It won't be possible to stop the GED test for a 10-minute power nap. But relaxation techniques can be just as effective. Using these techniques during the test are a good way to reduce stress, relax the body, mind and re-energize thinking skills. Just consider the impact that five minutes of stretching and fresh air have on drivers who are traveling cross-country.

A variety of relaxation techniques can be used, and there are many one or two-minute methods that work well. Some people simply relax all their muscles for a few moments, close their eyes, breathe deeply and visualize a pleasant relaxing scene. Some people use meditation skills they've learned through fitness classes, massage therapy or yoga. Or other people alternate muscular tightening with muscular relaxing, breathing deeply as they move through muscle groups from head to toe. And some people even use selfhypnosis.

Explore a variety of relaxation methods until you identify one that works for you. It's an excellent skill that will help you avoid brain drain, persevere through the test and 'go the distance.'

Power Up: A critical part of the athlete's preparation is diet, nutrition and sleep. And research shows that these factors are just as important to healthy brains as they are to healthy bodies. Are you nutritionally sound? While fast food is convenient, it's not a good diet before a marathon. Eat healthy, especially a few days before the test. Make sure your diet includes foods designed for physical and mental stamina. Get plenty of rest, too, so you won't be fatigued halftway through the test.

Ready to run? Make sure you dress for the weather. Wear clothing that's comfortable, with a healthy snack or two in your pocket. And when test breaks are given, take a real break. Stretch, breathe deeply; clear your mind. Drink water -- eat your healthy snack.

And don't forget to visualize your goal. Just like the marathoner keeps the mind's eye and energetic focus on the finish line, GED test candidates will want to keep an eye on the credential. Visualizing success is a motivator -- important during study time and at test time.

More Resources

For additional GED study tips, test information and free resources on the GED test, including financial aid and student support, visit www.PassGED.com. The website also provides links to federal agencies and nonprofits that serve GED students, instructors and workforce development programs. For a list of official GED testing sites and administrative contacts, visit Test Sites

Leonard Williams, an e-learning instructor with http://www.passged.com/online_courses.php, is also a curriculum specialist who focuses on research and development, implementation and assessment of best-practice learning solutions for adult learners and people with educational challenges. Leonard's email is LeonardWilliams@passGED.com. He invites feedback and questions from GED students and instructors.

Why do parents on holiday drag their children along to every single social evening? I realize it can be very difficult when there is nobody to baby sit, but why cannot people stay in while the children are asleep, organize their entertainment for early evenings instead of late nights and put up with the fact that they are parents now and must make some sacrifices?

No longer at liberty to enjoy as many drinks as they might like, they are also no longer free of responsibilities and able to indulge in disco entertainment well into the early hours of the morning. The present trend, however, is to continue doing all the things they did before the children came along, and to avoid missing out, take the kids too!

When you have children, you need to keep earlier hours to suit their routine, not yours. So many times on the Costa Blanca we see exhausted children being hauled into bars and restaurants after ten oclock at night. Tired from their day on the beach, all they want is to drop onto their cots and sleep until the morning. However, because Mummy and Daddy fancy drinking about eighteen pints of lager between them, the poor kids have to try to make themselves comfortable across a couple of dining chairs in some strange restaurant, or sleep sitting upright in a dining chair or the seat of a pushchair.

Where is the parental responsibility that at one time produced Mums and Dads who would consider going home at nine oclock so their children could get proper rest? Why is every corner of our town filled with screaming, sun burned, over tired children, accompanied by parents too drunk to remember what the time is, let alone whether their children should be in bed?

One of the ugliest scenes I saw this summer was is that of a drunken mother staggering down the seafront with two children running to keep up with a lurching pushchair, a baby trying to sleep inside it, the others not much older, dummies in their mouths, sobbing with exhaustion, and the father bringing up the rear, complaining at the price of his last pint. They made a degenerate, depressing picture and made everyone who saw them feel tainted by association.

It is very true that parents deserve a well earned rest, as well as the children. As parents, however, what we deserve is not always what we get, due to the difficulty of having to provide our children with their requirements first, as priority. Those who do not feel they can give up their leisure hours when necessary should consider remaining childless, in my opinion.

Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.

Poetry has changed over the years, and modern poetry is not the same eclectic and elitist prose you may remember from your high school reading. Modern poetry is written in plain English, filled with imagery and emotion, and is so much easier to read than poetry of the past. If you haven't read modern poetry, you don't know what you are missing!

Edgar Allan Poe wrote the Raven, which is a wonderful piece of prose or poetry, and it is filled with imagery, emotion, metaphor, and hidden meaning. It's also filled with Old English and esoteric lines, making it difficult to read without having to stop and analyze the deeper or hidden meaning behind it.

Even some current poets write in the eclectic poetic stylings of the past, but the reader will spend so much time trying to figure out what the writer meant, that the meaning and emotion behind the writing is all but lost. Poetry is not something most readers want to analyze. It is something readers want to feel and experience.

The old style of poetry writing is great if you have the time and inclination to sit and read through it and study the meanings and imagery behind it. However, with today's busy schedules, only the literary types or students have the time to stop and put that much thought into something, when poetry should really be evoking emotion, not analysis.

That's what makes modern poetry works!

Modern poetry creates a short story, with visual imagery, in a few lines rather than a few pages. Modern poetry touches your heart, by evoking emotion with which you can relate, about things you probably have experienced yourself.

The common themes for modern poetry are love and romance, nature, beauty, and loss and grief. These are all things that everyone can relate to, and when written in verse form, with modern language use, a poem or piece of prose can bring about feelings long forgotten, remind of times of strong emotion, or speak of dreams for the future...all in a few lines, instead of pages of story.

A good book or a novel makes you think, striking the imagination...poetry and prose makes you feel, striking the emotions. Why not give modern poetry a chance? You can search online for samples or go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy and check it out. You may just be surprised how much you enjoy reading modern poetry!

Michelle L Devon is a freelance editor and author for Accentuate Services http://www.accentuateservices.com as well as several traditional publishing houses. Ms. Devon is also the author of a newly released modern poetry and prose compilation entitled In a Perfect World. For more information or to purchase a copy of Ms. Devon's book, please visit http://www.MichelleLDevon.com

There are many issues to consider when insuring a recreational boat. Many people view boating as a fun sport and dont consider there to be enough risks associated with boating to make insuring the boat very important.

First of all, do you need to be reminded that we live in a litigious world? Even though a friend or guest on board your boat for the day may be very chummy, that would likely change if they or their child were to be injured while on a boating voyage on your boat. Wherever you go, accidents can happen and boating is certainly no exception. And, when faced with enormous medical bills, it is normal for people to seek recovery from others, even though they may not have been at fault. You simply should not have a recreational boat without, at a minimum, a basic liability policy.

Most banks and marine finance companies require that boats covered under their financing are adequately insured. Likewise, you need to have this coverage for the protection of your other assets. If you are found to be at fault for a drowning or loss of a limb, your entire financial future, and that of your family, can be ruined. It is simply not worth the risk.

Insurance on a boat is similar to insurance on an automobile. There is coverage for your boat, coverage for the liability you have for persons in your boat as well as others who light be damaged by your boat or your actions regarding your boat. And, just like your car, the premiums are dependent on the dollar value of the coverage limits that you select.

Consider how you plan to use your boat. Will you be trailering it from lake to lake to enjoy a variety of voyages? If so, you will also need to consider coverage while the boat is in tow. You need to check out this coverage in light of your auto insurance and what is covered by that policy in the event of an auto accident while towing the boat.

If you will be storing the boat in your garage or at your dock, there are other considerations. For example, if you only use the boat during the summer season, many insurers allow you to declare a storage only coverage for that time of the year when the boat is not being used. You would need to notify the insurance company at the start of the season and then again at the end of the season. This will have a direct effect on your premiums and it will ensure that you are not paying premiums for liability coverages while there is virtually no risk involved.

While your boat may very well be covered under your homeowners policy while stored in your garage, you may have to declare it on a supplemental schedule to cover it. If you store your boat in a marina or other commercial boat storage facility, they will normally require you to demonstrate proof of insurance prior to storing your boat. The marinas insurance will cover any negligence or damage to your boat that results from the marinas liability, but it very likely will not cover your boat in the event of a flood, fire, hurricane, tornado or other act of God. You must have insurance coverage for this sort of exposure. There were many thousands of boats damaged or destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Gulf Coat in 2005. A large number of the boatowners were shocked to learn that their boats were not covered by the marinas insurance policy. Those that had their boats in storage without coverage for storage suffered a complete loss!

In 10 years in the marina business, I have unfortunately seen several drownings, swimmers run over by a boaters propeller, broken limbs and backs and 50 or so sunken boats. Most of this was a result of somebodys negligence. Many of these boaters failed to have insurance coverage! Unfortunately, there is no legal requirement to do so. The risks can be huge.

Boat insurance can be obtained from several sources. Many people choose to add their boat onto their homeowners policy and the umbrella insurance provided thereon. That is certainly better than not having insurance. Marine insurance may, in fact, prove to be a better buy. It certainly pays to do your homework. When there are problems, the marine insurers are considerably more conversant in the marine issues than the adjusters of the standard property & casualty commercial insurer.

It is surely advisable to take one of the safe boating courses offered by the U. S. Coast Guard or the U. S. Power Squadron. I would encourage your whole family to take the course and think about the safety issues when around your boat. Also be certain hat you have the proper number and type of Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) for the crew of your boat as well as the other safety equipment thats appropriate and required by law. Just like in your car, be sure you have a designated driver along if you intend to consume alcohol while on your voyage! The sun and spray tend to exacerbate the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream and many states now enforce a BUI Boating Under the Influence law.

Do your homework before buying your boat insurance, but be certain that you get it. This is true even for the smallest of boats, especially personal watercraft (PWCs).

Have a safe and fun time on the water this year!

Resources:Don Seibert is a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard and has operated a large marina and boat dealership for the past 10 years. Don has been boating for more than 50 years.

You can get more boating issue exposure and benefit from this experience at More Boating Articles or go to http://Metrics-Publishing.com/Boating

When building your home or redecorating, choosing your flooring is going to be one of the most important elements in giving your home its unique character, look and feel. Selecting the right flooring fore your home though, is not just as simple as choosing the look you want. There is so much more to take into consideration before you find the right floor for you.

Tip One - Think about the kind of lifestyle you lead before you pick your flooring. An extremely important thing to consider when choosing your flooring is its durability and toughness. If you have a large family and pets, hardwoods may not be the most ideal choice as they are not as durable as most floors and can tend to stain easily as well as being sensitive to water and humidity.

If you want something that is stain resistant and tough then laminates may be a good floor to consider. They have become a very popular choice these days. Many even come warranties for 25 40 years to guarantee their durability. Tiles are also good for durability and are easy to clean. Certain types of carpet can be great for durability as well but may be harder to clean.

Tip Two - Make sure you dont get so caught up in how the flooring looks that you neglect to think about comfort. Carpet is great from children as it is a little more cushioned than other floors. Also take in to consideration the climate you live in. A wood floor may not be the best option if you live in a cold climate as it can get drafty. Carpets are a better choice for cold climates and you can even consider floor heating. Tiles and Laminate can also be cold although you can put mats over them

Tip Three - Choosing the right look for your home can be a challenge. Make sure you have an idea of the look and feel you want before choosing your flooring as it can make a massive difference. Hardwood was a popular floor for the wealthy in old times and still has a natural warmth about it that is just exquisite. It has a timeless classic look and there are many different types of hardwood to suit many home styles. Everything from the regal air of Brazilian cherry to the welcoming warmth and elegance of Maple hardwood.

Laminate looks very modern and sleek and ads sophistication and simplicity to any home. Floor tiles can be of stone, slate, marble, ceramic, wood, linoleum or carpet and are available in a bewildering variety of shapes, sizes, colors and qualities that can be matched with almost any style of home.

An attractive floor matched with interiors of your house can drastically enhance the total look of your home so choose carefully! Tip Four - One thing you want to know up front is how much cleaning and maintenance your flooring is going to need and how easy it is to clean and maintain. Hardwoods take a little more care. They need careful cleaning and maintenance where as most carpets require minimal care as do laminates and tiles. For rooms that get a lot of family use like kitchen and bathrooms, it is important that floors for these rooms are easy to clean. Linoleum and textured vinyl can be a pain as dirt can accumulate in the crevices and also, tiles with white grout can become stained and dirty looking. If hardwoods are kept in these areas it can be a pain as they dont cope well with spillages and humidity.

Matthew Dickinson is a freelance writer who has become an expert in Flooring and Home Improvement and has written over 200 articles on the topic including independent reviews of online flooring retailers, tips and advice on flooring and also reviews of different flooring types.