I've been experiencing a lot of back pain lately. Some people say it's a sign of getting old, others say it's a result of my daily activities. Either way, it’s not a wonderful feeling doing your chores with a painful back.

Upon doing some research, I found that it may be true that back pains are associated with the things we do every day, like working nine hours a day at your desk. Did you know that sitting puts 40% more pressure on your spine than standing? It puts so much pressure on your back that it begins to hurt. Sitting at a 135-degree angle can reduce compression on the discs in the spine, so lean back slightly every now and then. You can put a pillow on your chair positioned right on your lower back. This will give you a good angle to support your lower back when you lean backwards.

And since most of your time is spent in front of your desk, you tend to be physically less active. Try to allot at least 30 minutes in a day to exercise. Bring out your running shoes, promotional towel and water bottle. A good 30-minute walk and some stretching every day will help ease the tension on your bones.

For women, back pains are usually associated with carrying a heavy shoulder bag. To combat the pain, pack only the things that you need every day into your bag. For example, you can remove coins and loose change as it adds up quickly. Some bags are heavy even when empty, and that’s because of the styles and designs – beads, studs, and metals that manufacturers puts in to make it more stylish. Motivators has a lot of totes and non-woven bags that weigh less and are easier to carry. These also come with different colors and designs so you can still feel stylish.

Did you know that stress is also related to back pain? When you’re stressed, your whole body clenches up, including the muscles in your neck and back. If this happens very often, it will lead to pain. When at work, grab a stress reliever. This will help you relax your mind and your body and hopefully ease pain.

Drinking plenty of water also helps in minimizing and preventing back pains. Back muscles frequently spasm when denied proper amount of fluid. Always bring with you your water bottle. You can never get too much water in your system. If the pain is no longer tolerable, you might want to give your chiropractor a visit; he or she can help you with more advance ways to relieve pain and discomfort.  Who knows?  You might even get a free spine keychain purchased from Motivators!

This past Thursday January 26th, Ken, Laura, Samantha and myself attended the SAAGNY winter showcase 2012.  The plethora of trade show items were amazing.  Any promotional product you could think of was there.  Any item you may want imprinted they had on display.  It really makes you think about how many of these items you come in contact with every single day.  We all had a great time walking the show and are looking forward to selling many of these item to our customers!

"Student warning!  Do your homework early.  Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday! #sopa"

That's just one of the many alarming Tweets sent out by Wikipedia Co-Founder Jimmy Wales yesterday.  What's Wales talking about?

According to Mashable, "Wikipedia will go offline Wednesday to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)."  SOPA is a bill that's meant to expand the rights for U.S. law enforcement and copyright owners who want to fight online piracy. 

SOPA's opponents claim the bill would have an extremely negative effect on user-generated sites like YouTube, and could potentially lead to complete shut-downs of popular social Web sites like Etsy, where individuals sell handmade jewelry, customized totes, and more.  "The intention is not the same as China’s Great Firewall, a nationwide system of Web censorship, but the practical effect could be similar," Journalist Rebecca MacKinnon asserted in an op-ed piece.

Those who oppose SOPA also worry that the bill could weaken Internet safe harbor protections, kill E-commerce businesses, and threaten virtual private networks (VPNs).

The scheduled blackout will affect a massive amount of people -- approximately 25 million Internet users access Wikipedia's English content each day.  Mashable reports that "Wikipedia’s decision means those millions of visitors will be greeted not with the usual digital tome of knowledge, but with a screen explaining the company’s stance on the bill and information on how to take action against SOPA."

Do you think Wikipedia's Wednesday Blackout will help prevent the passing of SOPA?  Share your thoughts below!

This weekend, Bill and had actual adult/Mom and Dad plans! We were going into the big ol' city to hang out with our friends, play boardgames, and drink some wine.  In preparation for our big night out, we purchase a swanky promotional corporate wine gift set to bring with us to the party. We had ready our promotional wine lovers gift set, so what we could walk from point A to point B with our beverages, and our promotional wine companion gift set, in which to open said beverages.  We packed everything in our promotional bag and were excited to go out!  Unfortunately, Bill and I decided to get sick instead and did not leave our cozy house. Being that we could hardly breathe, and it was about 25* outside, we thought it best to rest up and relax. So instead of going out on the town, we stayed in, replaced our promotional  ipad case and drank juice.

Hometown pride and promotional products go hand and hand.  Recently I was food shopping at the local grocery store and as I was heading in I received a customized tote.  The gentleman handling them out was hooting and hollering, he was very excited.  He was dressed head to toe in Patriots apparel bringing attention to himself, the store and the big playoff game over the weekend.  Im not the biggest sports fan but I sure appreciated the extra promotional grocery tote to bring home my groceries.

This Wonderful Caddyshack quote is what I think of everytime I TRY to golf.  Last Time I "tried", the caddy was supposed to bring our clubs back to the club house.  Hs did not!  If it wasn't for my Custom luggage tag I might never of found them.  Now when I travel I have one of these helpful Promotional items on everything from my laptop case to my backpack.  It's a huge help and inexpensive for company giveaways.

In 2 weeks, I am going on my first ski trip of the year with a bunch of my friends to a beautiful house that we rented in the Poconos. Of course I make a big deal about everything and already started packing my customized tote bag that I won at a raffle at the Motivators holiday party. I, of course have to put my custom luggage tag on my bags that I had ordered from Motivators for my trip to Turkey past summer. Everytime I think of something I am scared of forgetting, I throw it in the bag to make sure I don't leave anything behind. Last year, we got rained/thundered out. Hoping this time we can actually enjoy ourselves.

With a steady rise in e-commerce, there's almost always a sale. Whether it's during the holiday season or shortly after, June or September, there's always an opportunity for savings if you search for it.

Motivators is introducing free shipping for hundreds of Leed's items on the website. Motivators already has low prices and has the occasional promotional code for extra savings but this sale is a great way to pick up any last-minute gifts and is our way of thanking you for a successful year. So whether you want a custom imprinted watch or a promotional mouse pad, Leed's has the finest around.

I don't know if it's the iron, the board, or my lack of interest while waiting for that little metal thing to heat up but I hate/can't iron.  Everytime I go on vacation or to an event where an ironed shirt/pants/suit is required, I always have to have someone iron my items.  That was until my good friend Laurie told me about our custom garment bags.  The clothes fit perfectly into it and fold neatly in half for wrinkle free travel!  This promotional product had made life easier for me and whomever I may be traveling with!

It's a girl! Sunday, I attended my friend Gulizar's baby shower in New Jersey. She did not want a suprise or anything big. She just wanted just some close friends and family over her house. I decided to go over on Saturday to help her out with last minute things that needed to be done. Little did I know, her house was already full. Her mom and her mother-in-law came over with a bunch of other women cooking. We decided to get out while we can and went to another friends house to frost the cupcakes that I had made for the shower. We also did some final touches on the promotional gifts we put together as favors. Gulizar ordered customized tote bags, pens, notepads from Motivators for the games we would be playing at the shower. Gulizars small, intimate, shower turned out to be so much fun. I cannot wait to meet the little princess in two month. Her due date is February 14th!