A Simply Perfect Sunday Video to Reflect

Our Universe Part I

Q. Who propounded the Big Bang Theory and what does it explain?

A. The Big Bang Theory explains that nearly 2x10 ^{10 years} ago, a big explosion took place into smaller pieces and formed galaxies. These galaxies since then are moving apart from one another. This theory was propounded by a Belgian astronomer, Abbe Georges Lamaitre.

Q When was the universe formed?

A. According to astronomers, the Universe was formed after the Big Bang explosion which took place 10-15 billion years ago. Space, time, energy and matter all came into existence. The matter released during the explosion led to the formation of galaxies which were great masses of starts. The Sun is one of the starts in the galaxies that formed during the explosion.

Q. Who was Nicolaus Copernicus?

A. Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer who lived between 1473 to 1543 AD. He found that the earth orbited the Sun. But he also believed mistakenly that the Sun was the center of the Universe, and the planet were of the same size and moved in perfect circles.

Q. What is a Light Year?

A. A light year is a unit of distance. It is the distance that a beam of light can travel in one year Light travels at a velocity of about 300,000 kilometers per second. So in one year, it can travel about 10 trillion kms. The faraway are approximately 20 billion light years away.

Q. What is the Universe Made up of?

A. The entire Universe is made up of atoms. After the great explosion called the Big Bang , the Universe cooled down to tiny particles known as protons, neutrons and electrons which joined together and formed atoms. Fro e.g an atom of helium is made up of two electrons, two protons and two neutrons.

Q. What does the Universe consist of?

A. The universe consists of matter, light, and all forms of energy and radiation. It comprises of the Solar System along with eight major planets, three dwarf planets, all their moons, asteroids, comets, and all the starts including the Sun.

Q. What is the size of the Universe?

A. No one really knows the size of the Universe but according to the studies and researches done, there are nearly a 100 billion galaxies in the Universe. Many galaxies observed till date are about 12 billion to 16 billion light years from the Earth. It is believed that by most of the scientists that the Universe was formed in a great explosion known as the Big bang and is still expanding. Numerous researches have been carried out which has helped scientists to know the vastness of the Universe.

Q. Do you think the Universe will continue to expand?

A. According to the astronomers, our galaxies in the Universe will continue to move outwards and will expand until its energy is used up. This expansion will lead to the formation of an open Universe. Another possibility which has been predicted by astronomers is that we might live in closed Universe, as the gravitational force between galaxies will one day slow down, and the gravity will begin to pull the galaxies back towards each other. This might lead to another Big bang which would further create a new Universe.

How Women Think – The Secrets To Your Woman’s Mind

If woman is logical like man, she might have preference for tall, handsome, rich and gallant man. But she is an emotional being. She mainly responds to her emotions. She would rather choose an ugly guy who can play with her emotions over a hundred others who are much more promising.

Most men fail miserably in trying to attract his dream partner because he attracts that woman logically. The key therefore is through her emotions.

Do not attract your woman by buying her expensive gifts, by being available upon request or by showing so much love. You can not impress woman through these tactics. For them these are lousy moves. You will not be loved by your dream girl if you will attract her in a logically way. You are doomed to fail and feel miserable.

Be smart! Know exactly what to do. Attract her emotionally: Show her you have your self-confidence by having fun with her telling intelligent jokes. Be somewhat mysterious and challenging so she will get curious about you. These simple ways will help you gain her respect.

Below is a summary of reports about the secrets of how women think, and some tips on how you can use this knowledge to create attraction with just about any woman you meet. 

Secret #1: Women Does not Act Base on Logic, but from Internal Feelings – Know the basic thing. Women base their decisions on their internal emotions. Unlike men who make decisions based on facts, figures and logic.

Secret #2: Women Label Men Directly – Women label men on their first meeting.

She directly labels the men she meets. If she thinks you’re a nice guy from the get go, doesn't feel any spark of attraction around you, you’ll remain on the nice guy category, and it is extremely hard to break out of that. All her decisions in the future will be based on that first impression you gave her and so the chances of getting romance happening between you is very slim or none at all.

But if she feels otherwise, meaning she feels attraction, then the chances of getting romantic is all at your hands so long as you maintain that romantic feeling.

Secret #3: Women Do Not to Hurt Others - The third thing to understand about how women think is they will often act in ways to avoid hurting the other’s feelings.  She won’t tell straight in your face if she is not interested in you. She may consider answering your calls or see you a bit just not to hurt you. For men this act could be that “stringing me along” or “she’s using me” but for her, this is not the case. For her, this is just a simple act to avoid creating a bad feeling towards you. For men this is very frustrating because logically, she could just tell him straight, for which to her is a perfect sense.

Women take action to avoid bad feelings in the moment even that will lead to bad feelings down the road. She likes to feel good, and like to make others feel good at the moment also. For her, telling the guy she’s not attracted to him right away will lead to bad feelings.

Secret #4: Know Your Women’s Mischievous Side - The fourth way you should know about how women think is to find out her naughty side. All women have a “naughty side” to them, and enjoy expressing it to a man who appreciates it. For some men, “naughty women” are classified as dirty or slutty women. For him being naughty is a bad self image, a very wrong notion sad to say. This is one reason why women are very careful letting this side of her shown to men.

Secret #5: Women Like Men Who Appreciate Her Naughty Side – Your dream girl will be attracted too in return if you truly appreciate her naughty side, let her know this. Be subtle though, it is unfortunate that until this time, women still face tremendous pressures to conform to the society’s “pure and chaste “image. Today women who enjoy spending time with different men, and who are not interested in long-term relationships are labeled as sluts while men who do the same thing are looked at with envy. What you want to do is subtly acknowledge that you understand the social pressures she faces, but that her naughty side will be a secret between just the two of you. The way to do this is by simply acting playful and funny, with minor sexual overtones and innuendo from the beginning, moving onto more intimate stuff as she responds to you.

Preparing for a Better Tomorrow

Do you know where are you heading? Are you in the right track? By these questions I am referring to the future, your future! Your future depends on your choices and decisions at present. The future for me is only for those who prepared for it now. So how do we prepare for it? First know your sources and finances. Be that financial expert by just starting with your own personal finance.

Know your financial position. Understand the availability of your personal resources by examining your net worth and household cash flow. Net worth is your personal balance sheet, your assets minus liabilities of your household. Household cash flow refers to your total expected income over the year minus total expenses on same year. This simple analysis is crucial to accomplishing your personal goals.

Be prepared for unforeseen risk. Risks relating to unexpected death, disability and health care among others. These require purchase of insurance contract. Determine how much insurance to get.

Manage your tax wisely. Reduce the tax burden by taking advantage of the incentive that the government is giving. Understanding how to take advantage of the myriad tax breaks in planning your personal finances can make a significant impact.

Investment matters! When investing, make sure the higher rate of return. Accomplish all these by using asset allocation, which seeks to diversify investment risk and opportunity.

Plan your retirement. How much it will cost you to live at retirement? Methods for retirement plan include taking advantage of government allowed structures to manage tax liability including: individual (IRA) structures or employer sponsored retirement plans. Finally make sure to also plan for the deposition of your assets after your death.

Be a self-made financial expert of your personal finance – this is all what it takes to make sure of a brighter future.

What Is Social Media

Social media as defined in Wikipedia is an "interactive web platforms via which individuals and communities share co-creates, discusses, and modify user-generated content”. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content." I.e. Social media are social software which mediates human communication. When the technologies are in place, social media is ubiquitously accessible, and enabled by scalable communication techniques. In the year 2012, social media became one of the most powerful sources for news updates through platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

Classification of Social Media

1. Collaborative – This is considered as main sources of information for many consumers today. This includes Wikipedia where users are allowed to add, remove, and change text-based content. Another is the social bookmarking application which allows users to share their favorite online content with one another. A bookmark may be counted as vote, resulting to the rise of content with many votes in that community.

2. Blog – Today, a blog is use by companies to update and keep in touch with their customers thus it becomes part of any website but it can stand alone. A blog expresses the opinions and experiences of a writer or group of writers. It can come in any variation including personal or could be a specific content area. It can include text, pictures and videos. An updated and interesting WordPress, TypePad or Posterous blog can generate site traffic and bring in new visitors to your site.

3. Content communities – The purpose of content communities is to share media content among users. The content can be about anything in different format such as video sharing sites like Youtube, photo sharing sites like Flickr and Tumblr or it could be a power point presentation that you can share in Slideshare. You can make use of this to market yourself that can generate a lot of interest at a minimal cost.

4. Social Networking Sites – This is an application that allows users to connect using personal profiles which can include information like photos, videos, audios files, and blog. It generally includes features like instant messaging and email. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln and Google+ is a way to build your network where you can create a presence for yourself and is a great way to develop your brand.

5. Virtual Game Worlds - This is a three dimensional environment where users can interact using a personal avatar. It has a strict set of rules that needs to be followed in the context of MMORPG. Popular in this category are Warcraft and Diablo among others. You can make use of this to appeal to a specific market as this is very popular. An image from a World of Warcraft for instance can catch the eye of a consumer that would normally have looked past your company.

6. Virtual Social Worlds – These are sites that allow users to interact in a three dimensional platform in the form of avatars which is similar way to real life. You can use similar tactics in your company.

Bottom line is when it comes to these six social media it is crucial to consider what each avenue can do for your brand and consumers. It is important you tailor your approach to the need of your company to get the best result.

Types of Video Cameras

 

The product line of professional video cameras can be overwhelming; especially considering each camera type may have a specific use. In buying video cameras consider your needs and budget. While all cameras share the same characteristics, such as lenses, focus, zoom and sound inputs, the technical details vary greatly.

Types of Professional Video Cameras

1. Studio Cameras - Studio cameras are designed for use within a TV production studio. They generally are attached to large, mechanical stands with wheels to be moved around, have no recording device and send their signal to the production control room, and can be used in conjunction with other cameras.

The stand is as much part of the camera as the camera is. It has controls to adjust the focus and zoom without touching the actual camera, the ability to be pushed around the studio and an attached monitor to see the image without a viewfinder.

2. ENG & EFP Cameras - An ENG camera, which stands for "electronic news gathering," is essentially an entire studio in one camera and the most popular camera type for general purpose shooting. These cameras can record to tape or digital, broadcast zoom, receive multiple sound inputs through XLR cables, set the focus and aperture controls manually and generate color bars. These cameras are usually used on a collapsible tripod or mounted to a shoulder harness.

An EFP camera is similar to an ENG and used for filming on location.

3. Prosumer Cameras - This category of cameras is made for users who want professional quality video at a reasonable, consumer price. These provide sufficient quality for small-scale projects and are the lowest priced traditional cameras for production purposes. They may have some technical drawbacks compared to higher-priced cameras, such as one sensor instead of three, standard definition instead of HD, interlaced instead of progressive and recording to tape instead of a digital format.

To label this category as low-grade would be a mistake, since these will still provide many features of professional shooting such as focus, gain, XLR sound input and long shooting duration. Models such as the Sony HVR-A1u and the Canon GL-2 are popular choices.

4. DLSR Cameras - The use of DSLR cameras, which stands for digital single-lens reflex, has risen dramatically. These cameras previously were used only for still photography. After HD video was added to their capabilities, they have become a simple way to create high-quality video.

These cameras don't offer many controls beyond focus, aperture, white balance and zoom, but can create HD-quality video relatively cheap. Smaller-scale productions may find these to be a perfect fit.

Camera Prices

Kodak Zi6 Flash Media Camcorder – $146.23

Pros: High Quality, High Def, Fits in a pocket, Easy to use, removable memory.

Cons: Zoom is mechanical

Nikon D3100 DSLR Camera - Twin Lens - $798.85

Features:

Supplied with Genuine Nikon 18-55 VR Lens
Supplied with Genuine Nikon 55-200 VR Lens
14.2 Megapixel
Large 3" Monitor
ISO Sensitivity 100-3200
Live View with Scene Auto Selector
Continuous 3 fps Shooting
11-point AF System
Built-In Pop-Up Flash
Full HD 1080p Movies

Samsung Galaxy S3 - $849.99

PROS: Has a massive 4.8'HD Super AMOLED touch screen with resolution 720 x 1280 pixels.

The phone runs on Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich OS, powered by 1.4GHz Quad Core processor

The phone has an 8MP camera with auto focus, LED Flash and has a 1.9 MP secondary camera

CONS: Samsung achieved top position in mobile world due to best hardware at aggressive pricing 

 but HTC ONE-X is quad core too clocked at 1.5 GHz and available at lesser price.

What Makes Online Video So Compelling and Powerful

Online video marketing is proven effective to run a business campaign. Today video is no longer considered an experimental marketing and advertising method. Video content is important for marketing and advertising campaigns due to the size of the market's viewership, superiority to text and television ads, performance tracking and direct-response potential.

1. Evokes Dr. Robert Cialdini’s Persuasion principles

         

ü Reciprocity - People tend to return a favor, thus the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing.

ü Commitment and Consistency - If people commit, orally or in writing, to an idea or goal, they are more likely to honor that commitment because of establishing that idea or goal as being congruent with their self image. Even if the original incentive or motivation is removed after they have already agreed, they will continue to honor the agreement. For example, in car sales, suddenly raising the price at the last moment works because the buyer has already decided to buy.

ü Social Proof - People will do things that they see other people are doing. For example, in one experiment, one or more confederates would look up into the sky; bystanders would then look up into the sky to see what they were seeing. At one point this experiment aborted, as so many people were looking up that they stopped traffic.

ü Authority - People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts.

ü Liking - People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. People were more likely to buy if they liked the person selling it to them.

ü Scarcity - Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.

Types of Videos

Videos are considered as one of the best methods for communicating with audiences. The visual impact created by videos can often be creatively used to reach out and capture the imagination of a wide audience. The impact created by the video not only depends on the quality of the created video, but the final quality of output that reaches the viewing audience through streaming off web pages. A good video, bundled with the right support material will definitely prove to be one of the most effective ways of reaching out to a worldwide audience 24×7.

Types

1. Full-Motion Video - Video transmission that changes the image 30 frames per second (30 fps). Motion pictures are run at 24 fps, which is the minimum frequency required to eliminate the perception of moving frames and make the images appear visually fluid to the eye.

2. Screen Capture - A screen dump, screen capture (or screencap), screenshot (or screen shot), screengrab (or screen grab), or print screen is an image taken by the computer user to record the visible items displayed on the monitor, television, or another visual output device. Usually this is a digital image using the host operating system or software running on the computer, but it can also be a capture made by a camera or a device intercepting the video output of the display such as a DVR. That latent image converted and saved to an image file such as to .JPG, .BMP, or .GIF format is also called a screenshot.

Online Video Marketing: Facts and Benefits

Video Marketing is crucial to any online marketing campaign and is one of the fastest growing marketing strategies currently available.

Facts

1.   60% of Internet traffic is generated by consumers who are watching online videos. 

2.   YouTube averages 100 million unique visitors per day, with a total of 6 billion videos being viewed daily. 

3.   68% of the top 50 Internet retailers utilize videos on their websites. 

4.   After viewing an online video ad, about 46% of viewers take some sort of action; whether it's visiting the company's website, requesting additional information or purchasing the product/service. 

5.   83% of marketers believe the effectiveness of online video will increase in the next three years.

Benefits

1.   Video marketing improved communication

ü Continuous Communication – Since videos are recorded, you can use it over and over again.  Your video will show you at your best, both day and night, and present you in a positive state even if you are sleeping!

ü Eliminate Confusion – Video allows you to include nonverbal cues such as body and facial expressions, which help your viewers understand the meaning of your message in ways that written words cannot.

ü Give Better Customer Service – Videos can be produced quickly and easily, but the perceived value is so much higher than a phone call or plain text email.  This results in happier and more impressed customers.

ü Connect with Clients and Prospects From Anywhere – Web videos and video email can be shared as easily with your next door neighbor as someone all away around the world with the click a button.

ü Lessen Calls to Customer Support –Web video is an effective communicate tool; responding to customer questions with video emails means you are giving them better answers, and your customers won’t need to contact you as often, saving you time and money.

ü Informs Your Audience – One of the best ways to sell is to provide information to your prospects.  Teach them about things that interest them and help them in their businesses and mix in content about how you fit into this without being pushy.  When done right, your prospect won’t even realize your selling them.

2.   Video marketing helps establish credibility.

3.   Video marketing allows you to get your point across, in any fashion you'd like. 

4.   Video marketing helps educate consumers on your company, employees, services, and/or products.

5.   Viral video marketing will create awareness and generate a substantial amount of traffic.

6.   Web pages with videos get better search rankings than pages that only have text. According to Forrester Research web pages with videos are 50 times more likely to get "organic first page ranking" than standard text pages.

Is your company utilizing videos? If so, share a link to your company video below and if not, tell us why your company hasn't joined in on this growing video trend.

Visit Boracay for as Low as 8000 per Pax

Boracay is considered as one of the nature’s wonders is a perfect getaway, with its warm blue waters, powder-fine white sand, and a palm fringed 4-kilometer beach. This world-famous island is located in the province of Aklan, 345 kilometers South of Manila. Boracay is accessible by air from Manila through Caticlan or Kalibo airports.

At Boracay you can enjoy from different activities that suits your budget. Few of which are below:

Island Tour Hopping – This is the most popular activity to do in Boracay. Local bancas are available for this cruise, this includes a stop at Crystal Cove where you can explore two amazing caves you can swim in and relax. Another stop is at Ilig-iligan beach where you can come close to the fishes through snorkeling.

Helmet Diving – This one is good for those who are not swimmers, this activity allows you to climb down a ladder until the water is at your shoulder, once in this position a helmet is place over your head, and you will then again climb down until you reach the ocean floor. This one is a wonderful excursion with the island’s close-up view of the underwater life.

Parasailing - You will experience hovering above Boracay’s blue waters harnessed with a colorful canopy chute, you will be lifted through the air while being pulled along by a speeding boat far below. You will indeed enjoy the tropical paradise high above with the view of surrounding islands.

There a lot of activities you can enjoy at the island such as wind surfing, banana boat, kite boarding, Jet Ski and scuba diving among others.

Whoaaaaaaa! So much fun await you at Boracay but for those who don’t have that much money this fun fun fun activities in Boracay may remain just a wish or a dream.  Don’t lose hope, I was there and indeed had so much fun with my husband.

Visiting Boracay doesn't mean expensive and only for the ELITE. I knew it because I went there for three nights and two days. Here’s how:

Timing – the best time to visit Boracay is at its off season, sometime on July to mid of December. During this period almost everything in the island is at its 50% off. Besides you can cherish the moment as if you owned the island since there are few of you enjoying the beach.

Take advantage of the promo – Over the net there are a lot of promotional offers, you just have to be resourceful. For instance, you can avail a round trip airfare ranging from 4000 to 5000 pesos for two pax from Manila to Kalibo and a room accommodation of 3000 pesos for three nights for two persons. Fair enough, right?

Deal with the locals – Not all people in the island are business driven, there are kind hearted locals who are more than willing to guide you and lend their banca’s for island hopping for a very minimal fee. You can actually go straight to Ilig-iligan beach and enjoy unlimited time snorkeling by riding in a motorcycle for just 100 pesos from your hotel.

Food – foods in the island could be expensive or economical. If you opted to dine in the nearby 3 star hotel then definitely it would be expensive! But you can opt to dine in fast food chains like Jollibee, Chow king or Mang Inasal then you’ll save a lot for a more fun activity. You can even try the lutong bahay which ranges from 40 to 60 pesos, very affordable, right?

Transportation – transferring from one place to another in Boracay isn’t a problem at all as there are many motorcycles, tricycles and jeepneys 24/7. Small ferries are available for as low as 25 pesos. Van and busses are also available off Caticlan to Kalibo International airport at 150 to 200 per pax for about one hour and 45 minutes.

Travelling should be fun and need not be that expensive! Hope you too can visit Boracay soon as we are excited for our next stop to either Palawan or Singapore!

Healthy Weight Loss Rules

1.     Do not drastically reduce the amount of calories – A body not fed enough slows its metabolism and adjust carefully to create fat reserves to survive the new harsh conditions. Do not starve your body, starvation only reduces the catabolism, therefore, at the end of a weight loss diet, when you return to your normal way of feeding, often you gain weight, usually with some bonuses. Try to eat about two thirds of the amount of food that you used to. Calculate your minimum caloric needs and do not descend below this value. To maintain its vital functions, the body of an adult needs 1 kcal / kg / hour of waking.

2.     Eat healthy fats - Do not avoid healthy fats such as those that are contained in fish meat, nuts or sunflower oil, especially those contained in olive oil. Healthy fats are beneficial and are absolutely necessary, because some fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and Vitamin K are vital, so these vitamins need to be absorbed.

3.     Eat fair amounts of carbohydrates and compensate the deficit of proteins - Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body and the only source of energy for some organs such as brain. Diet based mainly on proteins can lead over time to kidney disease. Eat your carbohydrates in the morning and at noon as this will give you full energy in the morning, when the body needs fuel, and stocks made by insulin will be consumed during the day and not stored.

4.     Drink Your Foods and Eat Your Liquids! What this means is that you should take time to eat your food. Your stomach takes about 20 minutes to know that it is full, so eating slowly will let you know how much food your body needs and when to stop eating

5.     Exercise, Exercise, Exercise!!! Cardio Workouts – including running, cycling – helps burn fat. Weight Training - Exercise with weights helps develop muscle mass and will enhance the catabolism, as muscles are huge energy consumers, unlike other body tissues and will help you burn more fat.

6.     Take supplements! Supplements are also useful during a weight loss diet, as they offer a combination of essential nutrients in a concentrated formula, so you can reduce the amount of food without fear of depriving your body from vital elements.

How to Start Losing Weight

When it comes to weight loss the basic formula is to burn more calories than you consume. To lose weight the calorie EXPENDITURE must exceed the INTAKE. Caloric Expenditure refers to the burning of calories by exercising, cleaning, breathing and just moving. Calorie Intake refers to all calories that your body takes in by eating and drinking. Calculating your caloric expenditure and intake will greatly help you with your nutrition and exercise plans. You will be able to properly adjust your caloric intake and exercise duration based on whether you are trying to gain, lose, or maintain body weight.

Factors Affecting Women’s Weight

1. Lack of Energy Balance – Energy imbalance causes overweight and obesity. On the contrary, energy balance means energy IN equals’ energy OUT. Energy IN is the amount of energy or calories you get from food and drinks. Energy OUT is the amount of energy your body uses for things like breathing, digesting, and being physically active.

Maintaining a healthy weight do not necessarily mean your energy IN and OUT needs to be in balance exactly every day. It's the balance over time that helps you maintain a healthy weight.

·        Equal amount of energy IN and energy OUT over time means a steady weight.

·        More energy IN than energy OUT over time will result to weight gain.

·        More energy OUT than energy IN over time means weight loss.

Overweight and obesity happen over time when you take in more calories than you use.

2. Less Active Lifestyle - Many women are not active physically. Today many people spend hours in front of TVs and computers doing work, schoolwork, and leisure activities. In fact, more than 2 hours a day of regular TV viewing time has been linked to overweight and obesity.

Another reason for not being active includes relying on cars instead of walking. Modern technology also attributes to people in general becoming less active, the advent of internet demands less physical works in offices and even at home

Being inactive is one cause to gain weight because calories intake from food and drinks are not burn up. An inactive lifestyle also raises risks of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, colon cancer, and other health problems.

3. Environment - Environment does not always support healthy lifestyle habits but rather it encourages obesity. Some reasons include:

·        Lack of neighborhood sidewalks and safe places for recreation. People tend to be physically inactive if parks, trails, sidewalks, and affordable gyms are not available in the area.

·        Work schedules. Long work hours and time spent commuting are also factors affecting a person’s physically activity.

·        Oversized food portions. Huge food portions in restaurants, fast food places, gas stations, movie theaters, supermarkets, and even home is everywhere. Some of these meals and snacks can feed two or more people. Eating large portions means too much energy IN. Over time, this will cause weight gain if it isn't balanced with physical activity.

·        Lack of access to healthy foods. Neighborhoods supermarkets that do not sell healthy foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Lack of funds to buy healthy foods which are too costly.

·        Food advertising. Foods high-calorie, high-fat snacks and sugary drinks seen on TV make the children believed that these stuff are considered healthy.

4. Genes and Family History - Genes have a strong influence on a person's weight. Overweight and obesity tend to run in families. Your chances of being overweight are greater if one or both of your parents are overweight or obese.

Children adopt the habits of their parents. If a parent is overweight most likely the child becomes overweight too. However, if the family adopts healthy food and physical activity habits, the child's chance of being overweight or obese is reduced.

5. Health Conditions – Hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) causes overweight. Underactive thyroid is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn't make enough thyroid hormone. Lack of thyroid hormone will slow down metabolism and cause weight gain.

Cushing's syndrome is a condition in which the body's adrenal glands make too much of the hormone cortisol. Cushing's syndrome is developed if a person takes high doses of certain medicines, such as prednisone, for long periods.

PCOS is a condition that affects about 5–10 percent of women of childbearing age. Women who have PCOS often are obese, have excess hair growth, and have reproductive problems and other health issues due to high levels of hormones called androgens.

6. Medicines - Medicines which include some corticosteroids, antidepressants, and seizure medicines cause gain weight.

These medicines can interfere with metabolic processes and slow the rate at which your body burns calories, increase your appetite, or cause your body to hold on to extra water; all of these factors lead to weight gain.

7. Emotional Factors - Eating more than usual when bored, angry, or stressed, over time, lead to weight gain and may cause overweight or obesity.

8. Smoking – Quitting from smoking sometime results to weight gain because food often tastes and smells better after quitting smoking. When you stop smoking you burn fewer calories because of the absence of nicotine, nicotine raises the rate at which your body burns calories

9. Age – As you get older, you tend to lose muscle, especially if you're less active. Muscle loss can slow down the rate at which your body burns calories. If you don't reduce your calorie intake as you get older, you may gain weight.

Midlife weight gain in women is mainly due to aging and lifestyle, but menopause also plays a role. Many women gain around 5 pounds during menopause and have more fat around the waist than they did before.

10. Pregnancy - During pregnancy, women gain weight so that their babies get proper nourishment and develop normally. After giving birth, some women find it hard to lose the weight. This may lead to overweight or obesity, especially after a few pregnancies.

11. Lack of Sleep - The less people sleep, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese. People who report sleeping 5 hours a night, for example, are much more likely to become obese compared with people who sleep 7–8 hours a night.

People who sleep fewer hours also seem to prefer eating foods that are higher in calories and carbohydrates, which lead to overeating and weight gain over time.

Hormones that are released during sleep control appetite and the body's use of energy. Insulin controls the rise and fall of blood sugar levels during sleep. People who don't get enough sleep have insulin and blood sugar levels that are similar to those in people who are likely to have diabetes.

People who don't get enough sleep regularly seem to have high levels of a hormone called ghrelin; which causes hunger and low levels of a hormone called leptin; which normally helps curb hunger.

12. Absorbing More Calories from Refined Foods – Refined foods also slow down intestinal activity because they lack fiber. They take up to five times longer to pass through the intestinal tract than do natural unrefined high fiber foods (75 hours compared to 15) and the body absorbs calories during the entire time of their constipated passage.

13. Non-Nutritious Refined Foods More Likely to be Stored as Fat - Foods cannot be metabolized properly without minerals and vitamins. The energy that empty calorie foods contain becomes unavailable to our body and is stored as fat until we get the necessary minerals and vitamins at some later time. In the meantime we feel hungry and eat more. This too turns into fat unless minerals and vitamins are also provided.