You can click the calculator in the "samples" section at the top of this page, then open it with Google Drive, or download it to open with Excel or another spreadsheet program. Alternatively, visit one of the following links:   Bankrate.com and MLCalc are both simple calculators that also show a full table of your payment schedule, including remaining debt.  CalculatorSoup is useful for loans with unusual payment or compounding intervals. For example, Canadian mortgages are typically compounded semi-annually, or twice a year. (The calculators above assume the interest is compounded monthly, and payments are made monthly.) You can make your own loan calculator in Excel, similar to the wikiHow sample above. This is the total amount of money borrowed. If you are calculating a partially paid loan, enter the amount of money you have left to pay. This field may be labeled "base amount." This is the current annual interest rate on your loan, in percentage form. For instance, if you pay a 6% interest rate, type in 6. The compounding interval does not matter here. The interest rate specified should be the nominal annual interest, even if interest is calculated more frequently. This is the amount of time you plan to spend paying off the loan. Use the amount of time specified on the loan conditions to calculate the minimum monthly payment required. Use a shorter amount of time to calculate a higher monthly payment that would pay off the loan sooner.  Paying the loan off sooner will also mean less total money spent. Read the label next to this field to determine whether the calculator uses months or years. This is used to calculate the date when you'll finish paying off the loan. Some calculators will automatically update the "Monthly Payment" field after you enter the information. Others wait until you hit "calculate," then give you a chart or graph showing your payment schedule.  The "Principal" is the amount of the original loan left, while "Interest" is the remaining additional charge. These calculators will display information for a "fully amortized" loan payment schedule, which means you will pay exactly the same amount each month. If you pay less than the amount displayed, you will end up paying a single extra-large payment at the end of the loan term, and you will end up paying more money total.

Summary: Open an online loan calculator. Enter the loan amount. Enter the interest rate. Enter the loan term. Enter the start date. Hit calculate.


Regular exercise lowers blood sugar levels. When you exercise, your muscles need to find energy. To do this, they use glucose reserves. After they use that, they pull glucose from your bloodstream. Then, when you finish your workout, your liver replenishes the glucose in your body. Together, this process uses glucose in your body and helps level out your blood sugar.  Stopping physical activity or decreasing the amount of physical activity can have a negative effect on your blood sugar levels. When you stop exercising, your blood glucose levels rise. Consistent physical activity is important to managing your blood sugar levels.  Exercise also lowers your blood pressure and cholesterol. It burns fat and helps promote weight loss, which helps control blood sugar and diabetes. It also improves your circulation and increases insulin sensitivity. To make sure your blood sugar doesn't drop too low, monitor you levels before you exercise. Check your glucose levels half an hour before you exercise and then just before you exercise. Your blood sugar should be between 100-250 mg/dL.  If your blood sugar is lower than 100 mg/dL, eat a healthy snack so that your levels don't fall too low during your activity. Talk to your doctor to determine your specific blood sugar levels before you begin exercising. Before beginning an exercise plan, talk to your doctor to find out the best kind of exercise plan for you. Your doctor can help you figure out your overall health, how strenuous your activity should be, and the kinds of exercises you should be doing. Your doctor can also help you figure out what time of day you should exercise. You and your doctor can come up with a plan that takes into account exercise, your meals, and medication. To get the proper exercise, you need to include aerobic cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility exercises. A regular routine that has these three components helps increase your overall health.  To help reduce blood sugar levels, try doing 20 minutes of vigorous exercise 4 times a week or 30 minutes of moderate exercise 3 times a week. Try aerobic exercise 30 minutes a day 5 times a week. Choose activities that you enjoy. Great cardio workouts are walking, dancing, swimming, cycling, and skating. You can also play group sports, like soccer, tennis, or racquetball. Join a gym and use their treadmills and stationary bikes, or try one of their cardio classes. For strength training, work on building muscle. Go to a weight training group class at the gym. Use strength training workouts online or DVDs. Use machines at the gym or buy some home weights. Stretch before and after exercise. Do a yoga video for some stress relief and great flexibility work. Get a pedometer and try to take 10,000 steps every day. If you're not close to that number now, work your way towards 10,000 steps. Increase your workouts gradually. If you can only exercise for a few days or for a shorter length of time when you first start, make it your goal to improve that each week. Keep a record of your blood sugar levels before and after your exercises. This can help you track the positive affects exercise has on your blood sugar levels.

Summary: Understand how exercise affects blood sugar. Monitor your blood sugar while exercising. Consult your doctor before starting an exercise plan. Incorporate different exercises into your routine.


Developing your mixed voice is a complex task that is one of the most complicated vocal techniques in singing. Many classically-trained voice teachers cannot do it! If you're determined to learn how to do it, find a vocal coach with experience in this area to guide you. Chromatic scales are composed of notes in sequence, like the keys of a piano. Start with a scale a few notes below the break point in your register—the moment you normally switch from chest voice to head voice. Sing 5-note chromatic scales above, through, and below the break, in ascending and descending patterns.  Keep your tone even, and go slowly. Don't rush the difficult notes. You will naturally blend your head and chest voices if you sing below and above your register break without changing your tone. Play along on a piano as you sing, or sing along to a recording of vocal exercises. You can easily find free recordings of 5-note chromatic scales for vocal exercise online. While warming up, sing short scales. Rather than singing each note distinctly, "slide" your voice from one note to the next. Sing up and down a scale. Go slowly and do not allow yourself to vary your speed, so that you don't skip over your register break. Yawn widely to stretch your lips. Purse your lips and say "buh-buh-buh" while singing a scale. Try to make a good clear noise, not releasing too much air. If your lips keep losing the trill, stop and yawn, or put a finger in each cheek on either side of your mouth.  Use this exercise regularly. The beginning of your routine is a good time for it, as it warms up your mouth. Do your trills for a scale longer each time. When singing using your chest voice, focus on not straining your throat.
Summary: Find a vocal coach to help you learn this technique. Sing 5-note chromatic scales. Slur your scales. Practice lip trills.