Good Living

Sweet-toothed children 'may have depression'

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:08:53 PST

While most children like sweets, those with an extra-sweet tooth may be depressed or at higher risk of future alcohol problems, researchers say.

The US team report in the journal Addiction that certain children are especially drawn to very sweet tastes.

These were children who had a close relative with an alcohol problem or who themselves had symptoms of depression.

But it is unclear if the preference for the very sweet is down to genuine chemical differences or upbringing.

The researchers say sweet taste and alcohol trigger many of the same reward circuits in the brain.

It may be that even higher levels of sweetness are needed to make depressed children feel better

Lead researcher Julie Mennella

Lead author Julie Mennella said: "We know that sweet taste is rewarding to all kids and makes them feel good.

"In addition, certain groups of children may be especially attracted to the intense sweetness due to their underlying biology."

Experts say alcoholics tend to have a sweet tooth.

But the link is less clear in children. Other US researchers have shown that a preference for the sweetest drinks was found in the ones undergoing growth spurts.

In the latest study, the scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center asked 300 children aged five to 12, of whom half had a family member with alcohol dependency, to taste five sweet water drinks containing different amounts of sugar.

The children were asked to say which tasted the best and were also asked questions to check for depressive symptoms.

A quarter had symptoms that the researchers believed suggested they might be depressed.

Sweet tooth

Liking for intense sweetness was greatest in the 37 children who had both a family history of alcoholism and reported depressive symptoms.

The taste difference may be explained by differences like parental control over sweet consumption

Taste expert Professor Tim Jacob

These children preferred the drink containing the most sugar - 24% sucrose, which is equivalent to about 14 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of water and more than twice the level of sweetness in a typical cola.

This was a third more intense than the sweetness level preferred by the other children.

The researchers then decided to test whether the children's taste difference had any impact on their reaction to pain or discomfort - past studies have suggested sweets may help act as analgesics as well as mood lifters.

They found non-depressed children were able to tolerate keeping their hands in very cold water for longer if they had a sugar hit.

However, the extra sugar did nothing to the depressed children's pain threshold.

Cardiff University's Professor Tim Jacob, an expert in smell and taste, said the findings were interesting, but that it was hard to make firm conclusions or generalisations from one study alone.

He said the findings could be down to brain chemistry, but might also be explained by behaviour and upbringing.

"While it is true that sweet things activate reward circuits in the brain, the problem is that sweets and sugar are addictive, because the activation of these reward circuits causes opioid release, and with time more is needed to achieve the same effect.

"But the taste difference may be explained by differences like parental control over sweet consumption."

Taken From : BBC NEWS

Your Weight Loss Tweet.. Directly from the scale.

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:39:38 PST

Tweet Your Weight Loss Progress to the World

As the world's first WiFi connected personal weight scale, users can set up alerts to automatically post their updates to Twitter, further motivating them by sharing their progress with followers.

Withings, French start-up, just announced Twitter integration into its first-of-its-kind WiFi Body Scale. As the world's first WiFi connected personal weight scale, it automatically records the user's body weight, lean & fat mass, and calculated body mass index (BMI) to their secure webpage and/or free Withings iPhone application, WiScale. Now, with this new added feature, users can set up alerts to automatically post their updates to Twitter accounts, further motivating them by sharing their progress with followers.

"This social media feature was the next logical step in the evolution of the WiFi scale for our customers," said Cedric Hutchings, Withings General Manager. "Here at Withings we are committed to roll out new features and services on the field thanks to automatic updates. Adding this social functionality makes the WiFi scale by Withings the first true flagship of the Internet of Objects."

By default, the Twitter feature will not be activated when you purchase your scale, it will have to be enabled by the user on www.withings.com. During the Twitter set up process, a user can set their Twitter alerts to post automatically at each measure, daily, weekly or monthly (see image here). The tweet will read the users current weight and how many pounds they have left to reach their set goal, whether they need to loose or gain! Since the scale tracks up to eight users per scale, only the users that enable this feature will benefit from the online peer motivation. More information on the Twitter feature here: Withings Blog.

The scale is currently available on www.withings.com.

Source : Boomerous.com

Seven Ways to Destress

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:18:03 PDT

Do you stress out soon? Want to de-stress instantly??

Must have heard a lot of tips and stories on as to how to do it. Did those de-stressing tips work for you?
Follow these instant stress relieving tips.. would take no more than 5 minutes

1. Take a walk, a quick one

Take a quick walk, maybe to the road outside or the mag store nearby. The aim here is to get yourself away from the immediate source of stress and to calm down. A few minutes to gather your thoughts is all you need to get some perspective.

2. Read Something you wont relate to ur work

Fiction is ideal (especially anything funny or uplifting). Reading fiction takes you out of the here-and-now and into a different world. You can forget everything that’s troubling you, for just ten minutes, as you concentrate on the story.

3. Meditate or Pray

Often, the best thing we can do to instantly de-stress is to simply stop. Many life coaches and stress advisors recommend meditation: there’s no mystery to it, just sit and try to clear your mind of thoughts (perhaps concentrating on a calming image or a word or phrase, if that helps you). I also like to pray – like chant something as preferred in many religions.

4. Youtube

Yeah, Youtube... or maybe any other video site. The aim is to watch something funny or hilarious and If you have a favorite YouTube clip, then give yourself five minutes to indulge. You’ll find that you return to your work – or whatever the source of the stress is – feeling much better equipped to handle it.

5. Make A Herbal Tea

If you’re feeling uber-stressed, caffeine isn’t going to help. A warm, soothing mug of herbal tea might, though. The act of making yourself a drink can be calming: it gets you away from your desk, and it gives you a chance to concentrate on something physical. You’ll probably also feel a psychological boost from doing something positive and nurturing for yourself.

6. Punch A Pillow

Depending on where you are when you’re feeling stressed, and on your personality, throwing a few punches at a pillow might help. Think of the stress leaving you through your fist with every punch. (If you’re in the office, please don’t be tempted to use a co-worker as a substitute pillow ... even if said co-worker has caused your stress.)

7. Take Slow, Deep Breaths

This is probably the most recommended one, but doesn't usually seem to go by our stress levels and 5 mins seem to be less. When we get stressed, we tend to breath more quickly, taking shallow breaths. Concentrate on your breathing (you might want to do this in conjunction with meditation or prayer). Imagine breathing from your stomach, not your chest. Take slow, deep, fulfilling breaths. Calming your body down physically in this way is likely to have a knock-on effect on your frazzled mental state.

taken from an article by Ali Hale

World No Tobacco Day

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:26:51 PDT

World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on May 31. The member states of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. It draws global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to its negative health effects. The day aims to reduce the 5.4 million yearly deaths from tobacco related health problems. From 1988 the WHO has presented one or more World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Awards to organizations or individuals who have made exceptional contributions to reducing tobacco consumption. On May 31st, 2008 the WHO called for a complete ban on tobacco advertising; the organization said studies establish a relationship between exposure to cigarette advertisement and starting smoking.

source: wikipedia

What is nicotine addiction?

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:16:15 PDT

Nicotine is the tobacco plant's natural protection from being eaten by insects. It is a super toxin that, drop for drop, is more lethal than strychnine or diamondback rattlesnake venom, and three times deadlier than arsenic. Yet, amazingly, by chance, this natural insecticide's chemical structure is so similar to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that once inside the brain it fits a host of chemical locks permitting it direct and indirect control over the flow of more than 200 neurochemicals.

Within eight seconds of that first-ever inhaled puff, through dizzy, coughing and six shades of green, nicotine arrived at the brain's reward pathways where it generated an unearned flood of dopamine, resulting in an immediate yet possibly unrecognized "aaah" reward sensation. Sensing it would cause most first-time inhalers to soon return to steal more. Nicotine also fit the adrenaline locks releasing a host of fight or flight neurochemicals and select serotonin locks impacting mood.

for more, You can visit the link below for more detailed information.
why quit

[INDIA] Pictorial warnings on tobacco products

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:09:03 PDT

NEW DELHI: All tobacco products will have to carry compulsory pictorial warnings on their packs from today highlighting the health hazards of its consumption, a long- awaited step aimed at cutting down on the killer habit.

The government order in this regard has come despite stiff resistance from tobacco.

The products will have to clearly display a "scorpion" and "lungs" as pictorial warnings. The picture should cover at least 40% f the principal display area of the pack.

The products cannot carry any message that directly or indirectly promotes a specific tobacco brand or tobacco usage in general, the health ministry had said earlier this month.

The government had in August last year asked the manufacturers of cigarette, bidi and gutka products to display a skull-and-bone sign and a warning saying "tobacco smoking kills" on the packets so as to sensitize the public against smoking and consuming these items.

However, it could not be implemented at that time. Then the government fixed December one as the deadline.

According to WHO estimates, 65% of men in India consume tobacco, with 22% chewing and 8% smoking as well as chewing. There has been an increase in the consumption of tobacco among women, with about three per cent smoking 'bidis' or cigarettes and 22% chewing tobacco. manufacturers.

Source : TOI

Swine Influenza

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:04:21 PDT

World Health Organization Swine influenza - Update 4

28 April 2009

The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 19:15 GMT, 28 April 2009, seven countries have officially reported cases of swine influenza (swine flu) A/H1N1 infection. The United States Government has reported 64 laboratory confirmed human cases, with no deaths. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed human cases of infection including seven deaths.

The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Canada (6), New Zealand (3), the United Kingdom (2), Israel (2) and Spain (2).

WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.

There is also no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.

Swine flu virus transmission can also happen to humans . Influenza caused by any strain of virus endemic ( in swine (pigs) is called swine influenza or swine flu. There are four subtypes of type A influenza virus that causes swine flu, lately, influenza type A subtype H1N1 viruses commonly known as “classic swine flu virus” has been isolated that causes swine to human transmission. It is contagious, and is spreading from person to person now.

In the past, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received reports of approximately one human swine influenza virus infection every one to two years in the U.S., but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza (swine flu) have been reported.

Resources:

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[2] World Health Organization

Organize your schedule--More time for yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:23:51 PDT

Organize your schedule―and claim carefree minutes for yourself―in three steps.

1. Step Back (For a Second

Figure out why you want more free time. "You can't win a game you haven't defined," says David Allen, a productivity expert and the author of the best seller Getting Things Done. You'll be more motivated to change if you have a specific goal.

Make a wish list. Write down all the activities that you long to do more of―whether they're things that make you happy, relaxed, sane(r), or all three. Rank the items in order of importance to you, then pick one or two to focus on. (Once you get the hang of this system, you can address the rest.)

Now write down how you really spend your time. If it's all one makelunchcarpoolrunaroundlikecrazy blur, keep a detailed diary for a few days. (Want some encouragement―and comfort that someone's life is as crazy as yours? Check out Reader Time Diaries.) You might be surprised by how little time you spend doing things you love most. The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things?

2: Give Up What You Can

Consider this: Devoting more time to what you love can help you get more done overall. Says Neil Fiore, Ph.D., a psychologist in Berkeley, California, "Research shows that to be productive and creative, you must make time for recreation and relaxation. Trying to skimp on them hurts your motivation and often leads you to procrastinate." Plus, being a little selfish will keep you from becoming burned out or cranky. To find ways to free up time, take a look at your list of current activities and ask yourself four questions:

What can I delegate? OK, so maybe your 11-year-old can't load the dishwasher as well as you can. Hand over that task and you've got 10 minutes to spend on something more fulfilling. The fact that you're teaching your child responsibility―with, yes, an occasional eye roll―is a bonus. If you've reflexively been handling most of the household duties, turn some of them over to your spouse. Try similar strategies at work: Give junior staffers assignments that stretch their capabilities rather than doing the job yourself.

What can I outsource? Housecleaning is an obvious answer, but also think about things like tutoring for your kids. Before you decide you can't afford this, scrutinize your spending. Chances are, there's a way to reallocate your resources. If you need more convincing, calculate what your time is worth, says Timothy Ferriss, a time-management expert. To get your "hourly rate," cut the last three zeros off your annual salary, then halve that number. So if you make $60,000 a year, your hourly rate is $30. "If it takes you three hours to clean the house each week, that's $90 worth of your time," he says.

What can I do less well (at least sometimes)? When something you're working on is good enough, stop. It's a waste of time to do everything perfectly, such as polishing the underside of the banister. Instead, focus on doing the important things adequately.

What distractions can I limit, if not eliminate?

Shut the door. Seriously. If you have work to do, make it clear that you need to be left alone.
At work, check your e-mail only twice a day―at noon and at 4 p.m. "I've found those are the times when you're most likely to have responses to your previously sent e-mails," says Ferriss. And use the auto-respond feature: When you're swamped, direct e-mailers to an assistant or, with his or her permission, a colleague.
At home, give your BlackBerry a rest.
As for TV, watch a show you love, then turn off the set. The average American spends 2.4 hours a day in front of the tube, but that investment yields sparse rewards. Studies show that watching TV doesn't make people nearly as happy as activities that really engage them, like playing tennis, taking a walk, and eating with family.

3: Reschedule Your Schedule

Now that you've freed up precious minutes, decide how you want to spend your energy.

Establish one or two "nonnegotiables" and work your schedule around them. For example, eight hours of sleep a night, two hours of exercise a week, or one night out for fun, suggests Valorie Burton, a life coach in Annapolis, Maryland, and the author of How Did I Get So Busy? (Broadway Books, $13, amazon.com).

Create your daily to-do list on an index card. "The card forces you to focus on what's important," says Ferriss. (If you prefer to think in weeks, fill out five cards.) Write down only what you can realistically accomplish in a day―three to five items. Then make sure at least one item from the top of your wish list is part of your weekly plan. Yes, that means writing in "30 minutes on the hammock with my novel."

Schedule a quick and brainless task first. This lets you cross off something right away and start the day feeling accomplished.

Schedule your most onerous task second. Whether it's a difficult conversation with a friend or a tedious e-mail to a colleague, plan to get it over with next.

Challenge the list. "Sometimes all it takes to keep your sanity is to drop just one thing," says Burton. Ask yourself: "What item here least reflects what matters most to me?"

Reassess every Friday. Gina Trapani, editor of Lifehacker.com, a website dedicated to time-saving technology tips, is a huge fan of this approach. On Friday afternoons, she sets aside a half hour to go through what she accomplished, personally and professionally, and to map out the next week. (Even a five-minute version of her ritual can do the trick.) "This helps me remember my priorities," says Trapani. This also reminds her that it's impossible to do everything. "When you're realistic about how much you can do in a day," she says, "you're so much happier." And isn't that the point?

Tools to Keep You on Track

Let's face it: Your new schedule is going to be under siege by everything from big projects to good old procrastination. To ensure that you stay on-task, try these tips:

Do just a dash of whatever it is you're avoiding. "Work on the task for a short period of time―perhaps as little as one minute," says Merlin Mann, creator of 43folders.com, a time-management blog. "When you realize how much anxiety was created in your head, you'll give yourself the jolt needed to follow it through."

Post a procrastination-busting Post-it. Timothy Ferriss suggests writing: "Are you inventing things to do to avoid what's important?" Then stick it wherever you'll see it regularly, like on your computer.

Break projects into pieces. The optimal amount of time to spend on a task is 40 to 90 minutes. After that, take a break to recharge. And keep in mind that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. When you give yourself incremental deadlines, you're more likely to get things done quickly.

Take rest seriously. Not only will you feel better but you'll also be more efficient. "When people are scattered, they perceive that they don't have enough time," says Valorie Burton.

Don't worry, be happy. One parting word of encouragement: According to a recent Real Simple/GfK Roper happiness study, 65 percent of women who say they're "very happy" make time for themselves. (Only 39 percent of women who are "somewhat happy" do so.) So which comes first, the time or the happiness? Impossible to say. But the odds are good that the more time you make for yourself, the happier you'll be.

Source : msn.com

Slimmers save the Planet, Fatties Work hard

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:02:54 PDT

Reuters Report

London:

Overweight people eat more than thin people and are more likely to travel by car, making excess body weight doubly bad for the environment, according to a study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

"When it comes to food consumption, moving about in a heavy body is like driving around in a gas guzzler," and food production is a major source of greenhouse gases, researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in their study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

"We need to be doing a lot more to reverse the global trend toward fatness, and recognize it as a key factor in the battle to reduce (carbon) emissions and slow climate change," the British scientists said.

They estimated that each fat person is responsible for about one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions a year more on average than each thin person, adding up to an extra one billion tonnes of CO2 a year in a population of one billion overweight people.

The European Union estimates each EU citizen accounts for 11 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

Watch your Ego

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:42:31 PDT

Your ego wants to gain from the soul–too eagerly, in fact. Once you turn its attention toward spirit, your ego mistakes it for another race to win, another goal to accomplish, another result to achieve.

In other words, it translates everything spiritual into terms it can understand. There is no escaping this tendency, because until it reaches the end of life’s journey and gets absorbed into the soul, your ego will never stop assuming that the path is for the glory of itself.

“I am enlightened” is just as selfish a statement as “I know how to win.” Your soul is the one thing ego will never win for you.

People are surprised to find a great deal of chaos when they go inside. Not only is the mind restless and wayward, the ego offers its own agenda. Having touched on the ego’s needs to assert its demands, one shouldn’t have the impression that it is an enemy.

The ego has its proper place. The same holds true for the mind with its confusing stream of jumbled ideas, beliefs, desires, fantasies, and emotions. Its chaos poses problems when you try to see your soul clearly, yet the mind has an enormous capacity to perceive reality in new ways.

In their proper place, mind and ego are to be cherished as allies. Remind yourself of this in the long campaign to bring balance back to your inner world. Ego and mind will seem to fight against you, but in truth they harbor their own spiritual goals, not to rule over the soul but to be absorbed in its domain of light.

One of the best ways to allow your ego to be absorbed in spirit is to witness it silently. You do this by just observing your own reactions to situations, circumstances, people, and events. In the mere witnessing of these, you will begin to see a transformation, and a balancing of body, mind, and spirit.

Adapted from The Deeper Wound: Recovering the Soul from Fear and Suffering, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2001).

The Content appears word by word as on care2.com

Food for Diabetes

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:43:17 PDT

By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Healthy & Green Living

Looking for a way to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and risks for life-threatening chronic diseases? People with many health conditions, including diabetes, need to closely monitor their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose. With this in mind, the American Diabetes Association released its list of diabetes superfoods earlier this week. The list offers 10 foods that have nutrients necessary for good diabetes management, including fiber, potassium, healthy fats, magnesium and antioxidants. The nutrients included in these foods can promote good health and help prevent some of diabetes serious complications, such as heart attacks and strokes.

The beauty of this list of superfoods is that all of the items have a low glycemic index (GI) and provide key nutrients–such as calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamins A, C and E–these nutrients are often lacking in a typical Western diet. The following list comes directly from the American Diabetes Association:

1. Beans. Whether you prefer kidney, pinto, navy or black beans, you can’t find more nutritious foods than beans. Their high fiber content gives you nearly one-third of your daily requirement in just 1/2 cup. Beans are also are good sources of magnesium and potassium, important nutrients for people with diabetes. Although they are considered starchy vegetables, a 1/2 cup provides as much protein as an ounce of meat without the saturated fat. To learn about cooking dried beans, see Cool Beans.

2. Dark green leafy vegetables. These powerhouse foods such as spinach, collards, and kale are so low in calories and carbohydrates, you can eat as much as you want.

3. Citrus fruit. Grapefruit, oranges, lemons and limes provide part of your daily dose of soluble fiber–important for heart health–and vitamin C.

4. Sweet potatoes. This starchy vegetable is packed full of fiber and vitamin A (as carotenoids)–important for vision health. Try these in place of regular potatoes for a lower GI alternative.

5. Berries. Blueberries, strawberries and other varieties are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. Make a parfait alternating the fruit with light, non-fat yogurt for a new favorite dessert.

6. Tomatoes. Everyone can find a favorite with this old standby. No matter how you like your tomatoes–pureed, raw, or in a sauce–you’re eating vital nutrients like vitamin C, iron, and vitamin E.

7. Fish with omega-3s. Salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel, halibut, and herring are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health. Stay away from the breaded and deep fried fish. They don’t count toward your goal of 6-9 ounces of fish per week.

8. Whole grains. These grains, such as pearled barley and oatmeal, are loaded with fiber, potassium, magnesium, chromium, omega-3 fatty acids and folate. The germ and bran of the whole grain contain the important nutrients a grain product has to offer. Processed grains, like bread made from enriched wheat flour, do not have these vital nutrients.

9. Nuts. An ounce of nuts can go a long way in providing key healthy fats along with hunger management. Nuts also give you a dose of magnesium and fiber. Some nuts and seeds, such as walnuts and flax seeds, also contain omega-3 fatty acids.

10. Fat-free milk and yogurt. Everyone knows dairy can help build strong bones and teeth. In addition to calcium, many fortified dairy products are a good source of vitamin D. More research is emerging on the connection between vitamin D and good health.

This article has been taken up from care2.com. The work present here is in original form as written by the authour.

Chocolate Fans Dream : Zero Calorie Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:06:21 PDT

Amazed!!

Yeah.. But its true. Scientists create worlds first zero cal chocolate. But alas! you can' t eat it but breath it.

An inhaler named Le Whif, has been developed by scientists, allowing chocoholics to enjoy all the treats they can handle for zero calories. This would allow chocolate lovers to indulge in guilty pleasures without putting on any weight.

In the companies worlds on the website it has been quoted as

Le Whif is a revolutionary new way of eating chocolate - by breathing it! Imagine, chocolate without the calories...."Over the centuries we've been eating smaller and smaller quantities at shorter and shorter intervals. It seemed to us that eating was tending toward breathing, so, with a mix of culinary art and aerosol science, we've helped move eating habits to their logical conclusion. We call it whiffing."

This product would go out for sale later this month and to start with it offers four luscious flavors: mint chocolate, raspberry chocolate, mango chocolate, and plain chocolate.

The company promises New culinary innovations that involve eating very soon and would continue developing newer ones.

The "LeWhif Experience" is being offered at various cities on different dates. You may find out from the company website if its near you. Each canister costs £1.50 and can be reused a few times. LeWhif will be available to buy from the 29th of this month.

Take a relook at your kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:43:41 PDT

Your kitchen reflects how much you care for the health and well-being of your family. A sparkling well-designed kitchen with no dirt and dust is necessary to have a sound health. Also it points to the efficiency of women as a home manager.

So start a health programme for your family, starting with the kitchen. Give it a healthy look by re-designing it. Clean it today, making it dust free, so as to ensure better health of you and your family.

Reconfigure your kitchen in a way that enables you to cook great meals without making the workplace messy. All accessories and trash bins should be within easy reach to help you cook faster and hygenically.

How to Look Great and Feel Healthy

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:09:56 PDT

In our society people are quiet attentive about the maintenance of their vehicles. We also are meticulous for regular servicing of our vehicle. All this is just to keep ourselves fit and strong. Ironically, the most precious and most complicated machine comes to us free of cost. That’s human body. It’s high time for us to realize that this machine too needs a tender care, so what if it’s for free. One can maintain his body healthy by following simple tips. The ideal fuel for human body should be a healthy and balanced diet. Having fast food, deep fried stuff, high caloric food is just like adding kerosene in the car. In long term it’s going to harm the engine.

For proper fitness human body needs regular activity. We ought change our routine and do some activity for the sake of our body. We should try to do as much of routine work as possible. Simple tips like using stairs in place of elevator, walking for small distances rather than using vehicles can do wonders. For a better health, you need to devote atleast 45 minutes per day for your body. If you can develop a habit of going for a brisk walk daily for 45 minutes, you can surely add a few healthy years to your life. One can also devote the same time for aerobic exercises like running, jogging, swimming or playing outdoor games.

Most of us regularly take our vehicle for routine servicing at regular interval to prevent on the way engine breakup. On the contrary in regard to our body, most of us believe that there is no need to go to a doctor, if we do not have any problem, which is not true. By the time we start getting some symptoms, many a times its too late. We get symptoms if there is something wrong with our body. Its better to prevent these problems than to treat.

Regular checkups become still more important at an age of more than 40 years. In today’s lifestyle, we are at a risk of complications which can be easily picked up during routine, screening and their progression can be halted, if detected early.

Regular check-up is a must if you have some chronic problem like high blood pressure or diabetes. These patients are at a very high risk of serious problems. Unfortunately these diseases do not give any symptoms till the complications set in. Moreover, many of us refuse to believe that we can have some hidden health hazards and avoid routine screening because of the fear of something positive that may be diagnosed during screening. It is not wise to let the disease cripple in our body to an advanced stage and keeping our eyes shut.

The response to drugs, the need for medication or investigations should not be judged by a layman. Contrary to the belief, in diabetic patients control of blood sugar is not the parameter of proper management. Control of blood sugar is the easiest job and can be done even by a general practitioner. It is more important to select the correct drug which will take care of basic cause of your diabetes, select the drugs, properly so that, they don’t fall (which is very common) and you can live healthily without need of insulin.

source, TOI

Eva unwinds with a sensual back rub

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:59:05 PDT

Eva Mendes says her greatest pleasure is a sexy massage.

The 'Hitch' actress, who was recently named the Most Desirable Woman of 2009, believes stressed-out people should unwind with a sensual back rub. She said: "I would recommend a good massage to increase anyone's pleasure quotient.

"I am a big pleasure seeker and I really believe in guiltless pleasure, if you're going to do it then just enjoy every second of it, life is just too short!"

Eva, who is the new ambassador for Magnum Temptation ice cream, also revealed spending time with her family and beloved pet dog makes her happy.

The 35-year-old beauty added: "The greatest pleasures in my life are also my family and my dog, Hugo. He is such a big part of my life and the joy I feel when I'm with him is just a beautiful, sweet thing."

source, chinadaily

Why Are Beautiful People More Intelligent?

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:21:21 PDT

Sociologists and social psychologists have long known that there is a widespread perception shared by many people that physically attractive people are more intelligent and competent, as well as hold many other desirable characteristics. A large number of experiments over the years have shown that, when asked to rate the intelligence or competence of unknown others, people tend to rate attractive others as more intelligent and competent than unattractive others. This sentiment is captured in an old aphorism “What is beautiful is good.” But why is this? Why do people believe that physically attractive people are more intelligent and competent?

While physical attractiveness is an integral part of mate selection, the evidence suggests that concerns for mate selection are not the reason people think that beautiful people are more intelligent. First, children as young as kindergarteners share the perception that beautiful people are more competent. Asked to choose between two teachers, one more physically attractive than the other, many kindergarteners prefer the more attractive teacher because they believe she is more competent and nicer. Second, more importantly, among adults, the common perception holds both within and between the sexes. Not only do men believe that more attractive women are more intelligent and women believe more attractive men are more intelligent, but men also believe that more attractive men are more intelligent and women also believe that more attractive women are more intelligent. Since 5-year-olds are typically not concerned with mate selection, and since most people are heterosexual, these two pieces of evidence suggest that there is more going on than concerns of mate selection.

Sociologists and social psychologists, convinced (and politically predisposed to believe) that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and “beauty is only skin-deep,” dismiss this widespread perception as “bias,” stereotype,” or “halo effect,” with the implicit assumption that the perception is not accurate and has no factual basis. It is a stereotype that beautiful people are more intelligent. But, as I explain in an earlier post, virtually all stereotypes are empirically true; if they were not true, they would not be stereotypes in the first place. And it turns out that this one is no exception. People believe beautiful people are more intelligent, because they in fact are.

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), conducted by a team of researchers at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, is one of the very few social science datasets that take biological and genetic influences on human behavior seriously. As a result, Add Health routinely measures both the intelligence and physical attractiveness of its respondents.

In the Wave III of Add Health, conducted in 2000-2001, respondents take an IQ test called the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. And then their physical attractiveness is measured objectively by an interviewer, who is unaware of their IQ test scores, on a 5-point scale (1 = Very unattractive, 2 = Unattractive, 3 = About average, 4 = Attractive, and 5 = Very attractive). The following graph shows the association between Add Health respondents’ physical attractiveness and their intelligence. The data come from a large (n = 15,197) nationally representative sample of young Americans (mean age = 22).

source
http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/

More the Variety the more you Eat [Good Living]

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:23:48 PDT

Those on diet better avoid buffets, for a new study has shown that people tend to underestimate how much of each item is present when faced with a large variety of items.

Joseph P. Redden of the University of Minnesota and Stephen J. Hoch of the University of Pennsylvania came to this conclusion after studying consumers' perceptions of quantity in a set of experiments. Their aim was to determine how quantity perceptions influence portion sizes.

"Does a bowl with both red and blue candies seem to have more or less than a bowl with only one colour candy?" the researchers asked. "Contrary to popular belief, the presence of variety actually makes it seem like there are fewer items," they added.

The team first exposed participants to images of coloured dots and geometric shapes. "When items differ, people tend to focus on one type or the other and find it difficult to merge the multiple types into a whole. However, a set composed of only identical items makes it easy for people to perceive the items as a single, unified whole," the authors wrote.

According to them, focusing on the larger whole makes a set appear to occupy more space. "Since people rely on spatial area as a cue for quantity, a set appears to have more items when they are all identical," they said.

Having seen this perceptual effect in two studies with geometric shapes, the researchers decided to move on to food. They asked some participants to pour food into containers and observed them to pour more when the candy had a variety of colours.

"This occurs even though people knew they could not consume the candy. Specifically, people pour more in the presence of variety since they perceive lesser quantities," the authors add.

The researchers reckon that people’s tendency to underestimate portions in the presence of variety may help better understand why they often eat more if there is greater variety in a meal.

"This misperception causes people to pour larger servings when there is variety, yet they don't realise they have done so. Since prior research has shown that people eat most of what they serve themselves, variety could lead people to eat more solely due to this perceptual influence," write the authors.

The team believe that understanding such visual tricks may help people get a handle on portion control, a key element in reducing obesity.

News Source : The Times Of India

Image Source : wellho.net

Good Living!!

Reading Cuts Stress

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:59:16 PDT

Even six minutes of reading can reduce stress levels by more than two thirds, according to a new study.

The study, conducted on a group of volunteers by consultancy Mindlab International at the University of Sussex, also found that it works better and faster than other methods to calm frazzled nerves, such as listening to music, going for a walk or settling down with a cup of tea.

According to psychologists, this is because the human mind has to concentrate on reading and the distraction of being taken into a literary world eases the tensions in muscles and the heart. For the study, researchers increased the subjects’ stress levels and heart rate through a range of tests and exercises before they were tested with a variety of traditional methods of relaxation.

Cognitive neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis, who conducted the test, said that reading worked best, reducing stress levels by 68 per cent. He found that subjects only needed to read, silently, for six minutes to slow down the heart rate and ease tension in the muscles. In fact it got subjects to stress levels lower than before they started.

Listening to music reduced the levels by 61 per cent, have a cup of tea of coffee lowered them by 54 per cent and taking a walk by 42 per cent.

Lewis found that playing video games brought them down by 21 per cent from their highest level but still left the volunteers with heart rates above their starting point. "Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation,” the Telegraph quoted Lewis, as saying.

"This is particularly poignant in uncertain economic times when we are all craving a certain amount of escapism. It really doesn't matter what book you read, by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author's imagination.

"This is more than merely a distraction but an active engaging of the imagination as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness," Lewis added.

News Source : Times Of India

Image Courtsey : moriza@flickr

- Read our blog Daily and cut down stress ;)

Good Living!!

Gaming good for eyes!!! :O

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:01:50 PDT

Slaying hordes of bad guys - the more the better - fast-paced video games improves vision, a study showed for the first time.

Far from being harmful to eyesight, as some had feared, action games such as Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, or Left 4 Dead provide excellent training for what eye doctors call contrast sensitivity, the study found.

Contrast sensitivity is the ability to notice tiny changes in shades of grey against a uniform background, and is critical to everyday activities such as night driving and reading. It often degrades with age.

The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience , reveals a previously unsuspected adaptability in the brain, and could open the way to new therapies, the researchers said.

"This is not a skill that people were supposed to get better at by training," said Daphne Bavelier, a professor at the University of Rochester in New York state and the study's lead researcher. "It was something that we corrected for at the level of the optics of the eye - to get better contrast detection you get glasses or laser surgery."

"What we found is that even without this correction you can help your brain make better use of whatever information is received from your retina," she said in a phone interview.

For the study, Bavelier and three colleagues conducted two sets of experiments. In the first, they compared the contrast sensitivity of hard-core action game players with video game aficionados of the same age who preferred less rapid-fire fare. In action games, players typically target and shoot figures that pop up suddenly on a computer screen.

The researchers found that the action buffs were 50 per cent more efficient at detecting contrast. But there remained a question: had their vision been improved by playing, or did they become action game players because they had better than average contrast sensitivity to start with?

To find out, Bavelier asked two groups of non-action video game players to undergo 50 hours of training. One played a popular point-and-shoot game called Call of Duty, and the other played a game that offered a rich visual experience, but one bereft of action. "We found that the people in the first group improved by 43 per cent, and the other group not at all," she said.

As important, the study also found that the improvement was not transitory. "The positive effect remained months, even years after training, indicating long-lasting gains," she added.

Is there some limit beyond which playing action games loses its positive effect or becomes detrimental? Can you, in other words, have too much of a "good thing"? "For your visual system, probably not. For your social life, perhaps," said Bavelier.

News Source : Times Of India

Good Living!!

[Good Living] The 7 Spiritual Laws of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:51:03 PDT

Adapted from Kama Sutra by Deepak Chopra (Virgin Books, 2006).

Within every love story hides the wooing of the gods and goddesses. This is one area of life where the practical meets the mythical. For many people the experience of romantic love is their first experience of spirituality, although they may not know it.

The First Stage of Love: Attraction

The Law of Attraction states, “To be attractive, you have to be authentic.” What makes a person attractive? The wisdom traditions tell us that attraction first and foremost comes from naturalness. Nothing is more beautiful than naturalness.

The Second Stage of Love: Infatuation

This law states that infatuation exists to open the door to a deeper, transcendent reality. Infatuation happens when the attraction between two people is so intense that it transports them beyond ordinary perception and the ordinary world becomes enchanted.

The Third Stage of Love: Communion

The Law of Communion says that communion is contact of soul with soul. Communion is the sharing of spirit. Therefore, communion is the basis of trust. In this stage, lovers move into territory of the unknown, taking from each other what they did not possess alone.

The Fourth Stage of Love: Intimacy

The law of Intimacy states that in true intimacy flesh merges with flesh, and spirit with spirit. In intimacy, sexual energy and spiritual energy are recognized as one. Sexual energy is seen as the creative energy of the universe.

The Fifth Stage of Love: Surrender and Non-Attachment

The Law of Surrender says that losing yourself in another person is the best way to find your true self. Surrender is the result of relinquishing the ego’s last claims to separation. Surrender and non-attachment open the door to the miraculous, because miracles exist outside the realm of I, me, and mine.

The Sixth Stage of Love: Passion

The Law of Passion says that higher reality is experienced in the merging of the masculine and the feminine in one’s own being. Passion for life and passion in love are the same thing. This is because life, in its essence, is love.

The Seventh Stage of Love: Ecstasy

The Law of Ecstasy says that ecstasy is our original state. This is where we come from, the Garden of Eden, the state of grace to which we shall one day return. Ecstasy is the final stage of intimacy with spirit that flows through love.

Content Source : care2.com

Good Living!!

[Good Living] 5 Sleep Myths

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:39:38 PDT

1. Eight is the magic number.

Fact: There’s nothing special about that exact number, it’s just an average. “Everyone has different sleep needs, and you’ll know you’re getting enough when you don’t feel like nodding off in a boring situation in the afternoon,” says New York University psychologist Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., co-author ofA Woman’s Guide to Sleep.

How to beat it: Listen to your body. If you’re constantly reaching for snacks or need an afternoon caffeine jolt–go to bed earlier. Your body is craving other ways to stay alert via sugar and caffeine. As an added bonus, you’ll be amazed at the weight lost when you start getting the proper amount of rest. In fact, according to a Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, women who slept five hours or less a night were a third more likely to gain 33 pounds or more over 16 years than women who slept seven hours.

2. You can make up for lost sleep on weekends.

Fact: Sleep binging on the weekend and forgoing sleep during the week upsets your circadian rhythms and make it more difficult to get into a deep sleep state. So instead of making up for the past sleepless week, you set yourself up to fail for the week to come. “The body loves consistency,” says Donna Arand, Ph.D., spokeswoman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

How to beat it: Try and wake up and go to bed at the same time every day–even on weekends. Like everything else in life, the key here is balance. A couple hours difference probably won’t make a huge impact, but don’t sleep in until the afternoon.

3. Some peoples’ bodies only need a few hours of sleep.

Fact: Despite the legendary stories we’ve all heard about Di Vinci only sleeping four hours a night, too little sleep is bad for your health and your happiness. It can impair performance, judgment, the ability to take in new information, weaken your immune system, and can contribute to weight gain.

How to beat it: If you don’t feel drowsy within 20 minutes of lying down, get up and do something that is not too active until you feel sleepy. Then try going back to bed. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol after 8 p.m. on weekends and 6 p.m. on weekdays.

4. You need to be on medication if you have chronic insomnia.
Fact: Sleeping medication is designed to be used solely for short term sleep disorders such as travel adjustment or a stressful incident. People who suffer from insomnia benefit more greatly through behavioral changes and cognitive therapy, such as learning better sleeping habits.

How to beat it: Look into Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). “People think there’s something wrong with them if they wake up in the middle of the night, so when it happens, they look at the clock and start to worry, which prevents them from getting back to sleep,” says CBT therapist Dan Walsleben in a recent MSNBC article. “A therapist would explain that sleep is made up of both deep and light phases, and it can be perfectly normal to awaken every 90 minutes or so. Instead of worrying, we tell patients to congratulate themselves for sleeping so normally and let their bodies drift off again,” Walsleben says.

5. The older you are the less sleep you need.

Fact: As we age our quality of restorative, deep sleep declines, making it more difficult to stay asleep. According to a New York Times article, “The composition of sleep changes. There is also a greater likelihood that sleep will be disrupted by chronic illness, pain or some other discomfort. As a result, you end up with fewer hours of sleep each night–and subsequently a need to make up for that loss during the day.”

How to beat it: Just say no to naps. Studies show that seniors need just as much sleep as everyone else, they’re just getting it at different times. If you want to have a restful evening, try to avoid daytime naps, especially after 3 p.m.

Original Post By : Veronica Peterson

Content Source : care2.com

Image : alienview.net

[Good Living] Natural Cures for Depression

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:32:55 PDT

Natural Cures for Depression

• St. John’s Wort This “miracle herb” is one of the most popular natural remedies on the market, simply because it works. Scientifically it’s been shown to have an impact on mild forms of depression and is commonly prescribed in Germany in place of chemical anti-depressants. “Overall, we’ve found that St. John’s wort extracts are as effective as standard antidepressants, with fewer side effects,” said Klaus Linde, lead researcher, for the Centre for Complementary Medicine in Munich, Germany in an article for Science Daily. The plant produces a number of different substances that may have anti-depressive properties, but the whole extract is considered to be more effective.

• Revamp Your Diet Too many refined carbohydrates and a diet low in omega3-fatty acids has been linked to depression. If you’ve been feeling blue try switching out some of your processed foods for whole food–this is food as close to its natural state as possible. To get those all-important omega3’s the answer is simple–fish. Salmon, tuna and herring all have high concentrations of omega3-fatty acids and just 3-4 servings a week will give you a much-needed boost. Try taking a fish oil supplement if eating fish regularly is not feasible. Check here for other foods that boost serotonin.

• Exercise It’s that dreaded word! Yes, we’ve all heard the rumor that exercise is a great depression minimizer but it’s fast becoming fact as study after study back it up. Not only does a regular routine boost your self-esteem, even with light exercise, your body releases endorphins that directly effect the level of pain you are able to perceive both mentally and physically.

• Meditation Get ready to Om. Just 15 minutes of daily meditation can work wonders if you’re in a funk. Learning the simple act of mindfullness helps put things into perspective and can calm a busy mind. 15 minutes of silence may sound daunting but there is no right (and therefore, no wrong) way to meditate. Anyone can practice meditation. It’s easy, free and doesn’t require any particular skill or training. Spiritual leader Deepak Chopra gives someeasy meditation tips here.

Content Source : care2.com

Original Post by : Veronica Peterson

Good Living!!

Natural Remedies for Under-Eye Bags and Circles

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:51:02 PDT

Prevention

• A healthy well balanced diet is key but there’s new info that says eating two kiwis a day in yogurt can help to eliminate bags.

• Plenty of H20. Drinking water helps flush the toxins from your body as well as reduce water retention. Try restricting caffeine as this can also bloat you.

• No more salt. This is such a simple little tip with big results. Try limiting salt for a week and notice the difference.

Nautral Under Eye Remedies

• Place cotton balls soaked in milk under your eyes for a few minutes. The lactic acid in the milk helps reduce puffiness and darkness.

• Take protective eye wear or swim goggles; fill with water and freeze. Place on eyes for five minutes.

• Freeze a couple of spoons over night. In the morning rest them on your eyes until they are not cold any longer. If you make an effort to do this every morning you will see a big difference in about two weeks.

• Slice one small piece off of a potato, and cut the slice in half. Put each slice under your eyes and leave them under your eyes for 20 minutes.

• Place two thin lemon slices directly onto your bags or circles. Don’t squeeze your eyes tightly but be careful not to open. After 20 minutes carefully rinse off with cold water.

• Soak two cucumbers in lemon juice for 3-5 minutes. To help get rid of dark circles and puffiness place cucumbers on your eyes for about 10-15 minutes.

Content Source : care2.com

Good Living!!

SAVE eNERGY

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:01:25 PDT

SAVING eNERGY

The first and the foremost place where you need to save energy is the place you live; your "home".

Every thing you use , use it efficiently.

The reasons for saving energy in your home are twofold. First, and foremost, it benefits the entire energy grid. If everyone is consuming less energy, less power needs to be created, which, in turn, is generally better for the environment. The second and more selfish reason is that it saves you money and everyone loves to save money.

And when you know you are in India where lacs of villages are still under darkness; you need to think upon.

Save every "bit" of it.

For saving energy @home you can have a quick search on "Efficient ways of saving energy" or something like "top 10 tips on saving Energy" or maybe some other phrase relative to your search.

Our main point of discussion on saving energy is due to the energy crisis being faced all over globally and to be specific , the developing countries like India.

Taking up electricity(without any formal data here..) we already know that in contrast to the bright glowing cities of skyscrapers we also have on earth certain parts which still are dark.We need to save energy on our part so that its possible to reach out to those places and provide them with the infrastucture and the facilities.

Talking about water, Indian municipalities are facing the challenges of acute water shortage, increasing population and rising power tariffs. Presently only about two-thirds of the urban population has direct access to clean, affordable and reliable water services(think of the rural poulation!!!).

Lack of reliable water supply affects urban populations in multiple ways, having detrimental health impacts and significant social and economic costs. Energy costs constitute up to 60-70 percent of an Indian municipality’s total cost of pumping water to its residents. This financial constraint, coupled with inadequate or antiquated infrastructure and the lack of adequate managerial and technical capacities, greatly limits the ability of municipalities to improve water services. More efficient water delivery systems can translate into measurable energy savings due to reduced pumping requirements. Yet, most municipalities are unaware of the benefits available through water and energy efficiency.

These challenges are further compounded by the lack of state level policies to encourage municipalities to implement water and energy efficiency measures to improve service and reduce costs.

Thus, we can see how individual energy saving is important for us not being selfish and also safeguarding our own future(a bit selfish now...!!)

Happy Energy Saving!!

Source: Green & Clean

Stay Healthy, Be Wealthy

noreply@blogger.com (Style Aficionado) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:09:08 PDT

Few investors have the risk appetite to buy stocks even though blue chips are available at the best valuations in three years. But you can take advantage of present valuations by employing the strategy some individuals have discovered. The best part of this strategy is that your savings are left untouched. Take the case of Vaishali Khare, who used to hail cabs at the drop of a hat. Walking the 1.5 km. distance to the nearest railway station has helped her lose enough weight to get into an old pair of jeans that were lying unused. The best part of this exercise was that in a month it saved enough money to buy 75 shares of GVK Power and Infrastructure. Others have discovered that a shift from multiplexes to single screen theatres can save can save enough. Sales person Ramesh Shah, also an equity investor, has dropped his daily purchase of packaged drinking water. Instead he carries a awter bottle from home. “In a month it has brought me 25 shares of Arvind-The Largest Indian Denim manufacturer-that offers brands such as Arrow and Flying Machine,” he says.

And Ramesh is not alone. There are many in the market, who are following his strategy. When the sensex crossed 20,000 the resultant wealth effect compelled many middle class to spend more in malls and multiplexes. Now what many are witnessing is the reverse of the wealth effect. This is prompting even those individuals who are unaffected to look at their spending and cut waste and inefficiencies. But such small savings are meaningful only if they are used to acquire assets that generate value over time.

Veteran investors say that equities will continue to be the best value creators. But it is important to constantly monitor the performance as in every decade a few blue chip companies bite the dust and others take their place. This constant monitoring involves adding to your portfolio in bear markets and pruning them in bull phases.

Nikhil Walvalkar
(Times Group)