Female Aspirations and the Social Pressures Women Face

60 years ago women were the primary caregivers, the PGCs. They could go out to work, but if they had children it was a rarity to find a woman who worked rather than stay home to look after her child. In the 21st century all that has almost turned completely on its head. Men staying home to look after children while their wives become breadwinners is nothing out of the ordinary, yet we haven't quite reached a point where everything is acceptable. It seems that women are the ones who are exerting the pressure on each other to do the 'right' thing when it comes to their careers.

Any woman who has become career focused and determined to get herself to a job where she feels comfortable will probably have experienced some sort of judgment on the part of her female contemporaries. Women in their mid thirties without a partner or children can be incorrectly labeled as selfish, narcissistic and cold. There's also certainly no denying that we still have blatant gender inequality within the workplace, with women receiving a lower salary than men doing exactly the same job. In reality it's perfectly possible for a woman to do just as good a job as a man, not have a family and still be loving and kind. We all know it, yet the judgments still remain. Is it so wrong to strive for what makes us happy, rather than conforming to what dated social attitudes tell us we should be doing?

There is a problem on the complete opposite side of the argument, too. Women who feel their ideal career would be being a housewife and mother are put under pressure to pursue a career they're not interested in. The argument against them says that women have fought for years for gender equality and that we should not take our rights to freedom for granted. For any woman who does feel they want to be the primary caregiver, the nurturer and the housewife this argument simply doesn't stand because freedom is doing what you want. Still, a lot of women with aspirations of a successful out-of-home career find it hard to understand and tend to make their counterparts feel weak and demeaned.

So who is right in the great debate? I'm sure you'll agree nobody is right (as such) here. Thanks to the rise of the feminist movement we've come a very long way since the 1940s and 1950s, when a woman's place was in the home and a man very rarely even knew how to cook or iron. However, it seems that we've still got a long way to go before both men and women can be accepting of every role being filled by every gender in society. Is it our culture that's getting in the way of us fulfilling our personal desires? Perhaps if we all had a little more confidence in our own abilities or our own beliefs we wouldn't care about other people's attitudes and wouldn't be so keen to please them first.

Tips for Women: Looking Great at 40

Turning 40 certainly isn’t the worst thing in the world even if it does bring about the beginning of a few undesirable changes to the body. Instead of dreading these changes, learn to accept them gracefully and work with them rather than against them. Although camouflaging some of these changes is effective, in most cases, dealing with them in new, insightful ways is going to be the most effective in the long run. Lots of helpful tips are included below.

Change up your wardrobe
Buy something new to wear every so often. If you continue to wear the same outfits all of the time, the obvious signs of aging become more noticeable.

Change your hairstyle
Just because you are getting older now does not mean that you cannot dabble in different cuts. In fact, a shorter cut might be more flattering especially if your hair has begun to thin out as it often does when people age.

Hide the wrinkles
Unfortunately, the test of time sometimes seems to be just exactly how much can the human skin wrinkle. Wear shirts with collars to camouflage the wrinkles of your neck. Wear thin, long sleeved shirts in the spring and fall to hide the wrinkling of your arms.

Hide the varicose veins
If you are blessed with the unsightliness of varicose veins, hide them with capris, patterned pantyhose, lightweight slacks, long skirts, or socks.

Go lighter
Begin to wear lighter shades of clothing to brighten your facial appearance. Colors such as pastels, white, or beige can add a lightness that softens your facial features.

Go lighter again
only this time with your weight. If you have more pounds on your body frame than you should, consider dropping a few. Extra weight has a tendency to make people look older than they are.

If you have nice legs
flaunt them with knee-length skirts rather than slacks or ankle-length skirts.

If you have nicely defined ankles, show them off with a sexy pair of shoes.

If you have nice shoulders
wear something that accents them and distracts the gazes of others away from your less favorable assets.

Avoid baggy clothing
Although you might inadvertently believe that baggy clothing hides the extra bulges, sags, and wrinkles, all it really does is make you look as though you have gained weight.

Avoid dressing in clothing meant for much younger women. It only emphasizes your age.

Whatever you decide to wear, you should make sure that it looks good on you. In fact, if something that you try doesn’t work for you, try something else. You should still pay attention to certain rules of fashion. However, you no longer need to concern yourself with fashionable trends since many of them are meant for the younger crowd.

Thread That Lip Hair Away

Women don't want all that hair in places other than on their head! With either heredity or age, the ladies are bound to get a moustache on their upper lip and it's never ever welcomed. First there was shaving, and then came the plethora of creams, lotions and potions to remove hair, then there was waxing, and even electrolysis. Now gals, there's yet another method you may choose to rid that unwanted stache on your upper lip. It's called Threading.

Threading is done at salons or can also be done at home. The process removes the fine and fuzzy hair right from the root. If it sounds painful, consider the options. If you shave your lip, it'll come back stubbly, eventually like a man. What wants that? If you use a cream, you're subjecting yourself to chemical reactions and it doesn't rid the hair at the root, so it'll likely just grow back faster and thicker. If you've ever had your lip waxed, ripping that sucker off hurts too. Not to mention the bright red upper lip for hours and the small beady blisters for a week. Ick. Ever try plucking your hairs out? Ouch is right! You could bleach that hair, but then you'll just have a lighter colored moustache. Every method has its drawbacks.

Many women say the best method of hair removal from the upper lip is threading. One of the benefits is that you don't have to wait for hair to grow a certain length. The concept is that you're going to get the hair twisted and spun into the thread and thusly yanking, gently yanking it off your face. It might be difficult for you to visualize the procedure, so you may want to have it done in a salon first if you're not getting the full gist of what needs to happen.

To start take about 24 inches of thread length. Yes, the sewing thread, any kind, nothing special so long as you use a good quality, strong thread. Take both ends and tie them, together in a knot. You'll have a circle of thread when you're done tying the ends together. Next hold the thread with both hands and wind them around (loop around) your hands about ten times. Then place the thread around the fingers of both hands. Push the part that is wound up towards one hand by widening the fingers of one hand and at the same time closing the fingers of the other hand. Use an alternating "open/close" motion with opposite hands.


By opening the fingers of the closed hand and closing the fingers of the other hand, you're pushing the wound portion in the other direction. It will take some practice. Keep pushing the wound up portion back and forth until you are able to push it back and forth easily. Once you have the hang of it, you might be ready to start practicing on a body part. Don't use the upper lip as a practice point. Try the leg or some other body part that is easily accessible.

Begin by placing the thread on the portion of your leg or elsewhere that you are going to first try. Place the wound part on one end of the hair, and the thread from the other side should be on both sides of the hair you want to remove. Next, move the wound portion to the other side, making sure that it catches the hair while moving. It will then lift the hair from the root as it moves back and forth.

After you've practiced this method and are fairly comfortable with it, move onto your upper lip. It'll be quick and easy, taking only a couple of minutes every other day. How wonderful will it be to always have a hairless lip!

If all else fails, you may not be an expert threader, but you will at least know what someone is talking about next time they mention threading and they're not referring to cross-stitching!

Fashion Tips for Women

A noted philosopher and politician Aristotle once said, women are the best creatures of god.

And for 'you' creatures that are bold, beautiful, gracious and smart, wrapping and carrying yourself is of utmost importance. According to the varying shape and size or body shape and colors, etc, here are few wrapping and carrying tips i.e. Fashion Tips For Women.

But before jumping into those tips to make you smarter, beautiful and bold definitely you would like to know What is Fashion for Women, especially if you are a bit extra cautious about your looks and appearance.

Fashion For Women

Women are directly linked with fashion. It would be right to say that the word fashion is synonyms to woman. It is something more than wearing clothing. If you are an urban beauty, the fashion trend and style should go well and that too in advance with you. Few of the factors that define your fashion statement are body frame, skin tone, level of comfort and personal attitude.

So beautiful ladies, come on, lets have a feel according to your body frame, skin tone and after all your level of comfort.

Body Frame- Are you a plump women, if yes, try avoiding sleeveless cuts. Choose dark color clothing rather than lighter shades. Or prefer over a range of dull colors like dull blue or dirty blue. If you wear small prints and vertical line prints, you will look slimmer. If you have extra pounds in you, avoid kota sarees and cotton sarees and stick to Chiffon and Georgette Sarees.

Choose beige and fawn colors, if you have a medium structure. In case of blouses, try on nets as these are of great help in disguising physical flaws.

Thin women, cheer up, you will look gorgeous in all the color ranges. All the colors and shades will suits on you. You also can try on sleeveless, deep cuts and strapped blouses.

Skin Tone- If you have fair complexion, gold with a blend of copper will make you cool. If you are a medium / wheatish colored, prefer mix shades of white, beige and bronzy golden. If you have dark skin, prefer to wrap yourself in golden copper shades. Personal Attitude and Level of comfort- Your attitude and level of comfort is very important along with your appearance and clothing sense. If you want to maintain a cosmopolitan outlook but do not feel very much comfortable with western wear, try Indo Western style. A blend of Indo Western style should add an extra charm to your personality. A boat necked saree with a squared necked blouse is definitely for a shy and introvert women. Bold 'n' beautiful should choose from sleeveless, deep-necked blouses and may be straps.

So no matter what is your body frame and skin tone or how bold is your personality, fashion is for you, LADIES.

Fasting for Infertility

This is a common experience of a couple. Five years have lapsed after their marriage, but they do not have the joy of a child. Both were keen about it and very cautiously avoided the use of contraceptives. They had hoped for a child but it was in vain.

The young woman had consulted a doctor but was told that her infertility was permanent. Her father-in-law was informed by someone about the usefulness of fasting and that it may help to an extent. Therefore, he contacted a physician knowledgeable about fasting.

The woman asked him, "Can fasting help me getting a child?" The physician explained to her that there are many reasons for infertility which is of various types. Some types of infertility can be remedied by fasting while in some others, fasting does not bring any benefit. After knowing her problem, she was told, "Yes you will be able to conceive after the fasting."

Her fasting started. It lasted for some weeks and were completed without any trouble. Luckily, she became pregnant after sometime and later she gave birth to a handsome healthy son.

Over the years, thousands of childless women who suffered an agonizing life on that account have given birth to a son or a daughter. Some of them had menstrual problems. They suffered from excessive bleeding and had to remain in bed due to severe pain. The vascular balance of the uterus was disturbed due to clots in the blood, cuts in the breasts and such other symptoms. This resulted in the burning sensation and swelling in the uterus. The blood vessels became weak.

In the second type of infertility, a woman suffers from metritis. This causes swelling in the walls of uterus and oozing of the fluids is affected by it. It is either more or less. Thus, due to the ejection of the acid, the ova perish.

The patient can be very easily freed from the disease in the above condition. Much improvement can be seen after a long physical and mental rest. Though some types of infertility cannot be cured at all, those cases where the infertility is not natural but is because of some special condition, can be fully cured. All hindrances to the conception can be removed by fasting. Therefore, fasting is a boon for such women.

Some women become pregnant but cannot hold the foetus till the time of her delivery. They have miscarriages because of some debility. But fasting offers them good health so that they can give birth to fully grown healthy babies. After cleansing the body and excreting the toxins and nourishing themselves with healthy food, these women can avoid the miscarriages.

I know of a surprising incident about a woman who had 6 miscarriages. With only ten days of fasting and restricted diet she was helped in her conception. She had a normal delivery and she gave birth to a healthy baby.

The period of fasting for infertile women can sometimes be long, depending on their specific problems. Sometimes, it can be a short one also. I will give a second example of a woman who had no child after a married life of ten years. She had not used any contraceptive. She had a severe pain at the time of her menstrual cycle. She took traditional medicines as sedatives at that time.

Fasting for about ten days is enough to cure menstrual irregularity and other related problems. She became pregnant sometime after her fasts were over. She gave birth to a son in due course. Another woman had conceived after a few short term fasts. She was also barren for ten years.

Natural infertility among people-men and women-is rare, and fasting offers no hope in such cases. If infertility is due to some disease or other physical drawback, fasting can be very helpful.

The Breastfeeding in Public Debate

Will it ever end? At the moment it's looking doubtful. Almost equal numbers of both men and women have varying degrees and varying opinions on whether it's okay to breastfeed in public, but sometimes we're not getting the full story from both sides...

Many women who do feed in public don't do it solely because they feel it's their right. Being able to get out of the home in the weeks and months following birth is incredibly important for women so that they are less likely to suffer post natal depression. Some people might argue that bottle feeding in public and breastfeeding in the home is a suitable alternative and that may be, but babies are not always like clockwork and things like spilled bottles cannot be helped. Similarly, breasts often become tender and sore when mothers don't express and spending a long time outside the home can require a feed. Should women be made to feel like they should prepare for things like this before they leave the house, or go home if they need to express? Many would argue that mothers are busy, tired and don't have time to make these preparations. They might also argue that the importance of her and her child's health is greater than the importance of someone not wanting to catch a glimpse of an exposed breast.

For those who are against breastfeeding in public the issue is often not about themselves, but in protection. If a man sees breasts as a sexual thing it might make them feel uncomfortable to have a baby thrown into the mix and immediately want to protect that child and that mother from their own awkward thoughts. Should the fact that people see breasts as sexual become a problem? Many public breast feeders think so. Yet couldn't it be argued that just as breastfeeding is natural, sexual desire is too? It may simply be our society of wearing clothes to cover our breasts has created this image of them, but that is neither here nor there. What does need to be sorted out is whether the mother should be protecting her breasts from view, or other people should be able to look the other way without either staring or catching a glimpse and feeling embarrassed.

For now it seems that the best thing to do is cover up with a blanket or a nursing shirt if you are breastfeeding in public. Some mothers don't enjoy this as they can't see and make eye contact with their baby, yet others argue that not covering your baby from the outside world while they feed distracts them, they look around and stop suckling properly.

Most importantly, remember that you have a very strong belief that what you have chosen for you and your baby is right. With this in mind, remember that other Mums feel this strongly about their own choices and simply because they differ from yours that doesn't mean they are wrong. Every mother and baby is different and unless you know them intimately you cannot judge their individual situation.

What Women Should Not Say On A First Date

Women have a very distinct advantage over the male species, they eventually work out how they think. However, first dates can still be a minefield, and certain things are best left unsaid.

"MY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED IN SIX WEEKS AND MY MOTHER WANTS TO SEE A DOUBLE WEDDING." If you say this, not only will you make the guy run to another planet, but you may frighten him sufficiently to have a cardiac arrest. You may even be talking to a guy who wants to settle down, but this is a definite no no, on the first few dates. Even if he wants a long term relationship, this is the best possible way to pour cold water over any budding romance.

"YOU MUST COME AND MEET THE FAMILY." Don't rush the guy and back him into a corner, men react like feral cats to this sort of pressure, they strike out - far into the future with another girl on their arm.

"I AM SOLEY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE OF MY PARENTS." Leave this information for a later time, if you do not want to scare someone off. The guy may be a caring sensitive guy, but they may well feel trapped.

"MY EX AND I USED TO COME HERE ALL THE TIME." Nowadays most people accept that they are not going to have a single relationship, that will last their whole lives, in most cases, only Adam and Eve did that. If you are over the age of sixteen, chances are you have a history, but the first few dates are not the time to mention this fact.

"I AM OLD FASHIONED AND I EXPECT MY MAN TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING." Firstly you are being territorial too early, and you are laying a claim to someone you have just met, that is bad enough. Then you compound the error by clearly stating you are looking for someone who will always pay. This information will come out eventually if that is the way you feel, but try and keep it under wraps, for as long as you can.

"MY KIDS EXPECT ME TO BE HOME AT 10.00 P.M." You are either ready to date or you are not. This statement says that your children are more important than your social life. Accept the fact that you are entitled to a life of your own, and that you are not doing your kids any favors by putting them first all the time. Draw on your family and friends and find another babysitter. Don't reinforce the statement that your kids are controlling your life.

"WOMEN ARE BETTER DRIVERS' THAN MEN, AND I WANT TO DO ALL THE DRIVING." Oh - a control freak. Men like to think that they are in the driving seat. By taking control on your first date, you are emasculating him, right at the beginning. Most men are happy to go into abdication mode and let you take over but at a later stage of your relationship.

"I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WOMEN SHOULD WORK ONCE THEY ARE MARRIED." You may as well say I want to settle down immediately and have a meal ticket for the rest of your life. Even if you are talking to someone that does believe that married women should not work, on the first date this is taking things way too far.

"I AM A TEE TOTALLER, AND HATE TO SEE PEOPLE HAVE A BEER." Lighten up and live and let live. Your date is nervous and might want a beer. That does not necessarily make him a raving alcoholic. If you are determined to take that hard line attitude, then sort it out before the date stage so that it does not become an issue.

"CAN YOU LEND ME SOME MONEY." This statement does not reinforce the idea that you may want to see your date, because you enjoy his company. If you are going to be short of money, and it does happen to everyone at some stage of their life, but don't go out and lose the chance of making a relationship with someone because you need money. Try and get it from friends or someone that knows you better.

"I WANT SEX." There are two reasons for this - don't waste time, arrange it first if that is what you want. Dual standards men can be immature in their appraisal and prejudge a woman who wants sex. It is what they want but who knows what they think, you may be classified as someone who is only interested in one night stands. There are plenty of web sites for women who want only sex, try there first. This does not even mean to say that you should not have sex, on the first date. Give the guy a chance to do the running.

Kegel Exercises - Staying Fit, Active And Independent

The Kegel Exercises derive their origin from the name of Dr. Arnold Kegel who discovered this wonderful exercise regimen. These are very beneficial for the pubococcygeal muscles also known as Kegel muscles. The idea behind this exercise is to tone these muscles as well as strengthen them thereby avoiding pelvic floor problems. The primary reason for the exercise was to control incontinence in women following childbirth as well as elderly women. But things have changed and now it is advised as an easy way to treat urinary stress incontinence. Another very good reason for you to do this exercise is that it makes your sex-life pleasurable! Regardless of your age, you should do these exercises to have gratifying and enjoyable intercourse.

Causes of weakening vaginal muscles.

-Lack of exercise.

-Been through many pregnancies.

-Growing age.

-Being overweight.

Ways to do Kegel exercise.

-One of the easiest ways to do this is to contract the vagina and then relax. Repeat this at least 20-400 times a day depending on your strength.

-The other method is to avoid using your stomach, leg, back or buttock muscles while doing this exercise. Breathe slowly and deeply. If your abdominal muscles move while doing this asana you are doing it the right way. The movement of your leg and buttocks muscles means you are in the wrong direction.

- Gadgets are also available in the market which would help you exercise the right muscles.

Easy to do.

- This exercise hardly takes any time and you can do it anywhere. Standing in a bus queue, while watching TV, lying down, walking and pretty much while doing anything else.

It is better to start early and maintain the strength of your vagina muscles. As you grow older, particularly during menopause, the muscles are weakened.

Need to do it.

We give lot of attention to our external look by doing number of exercises. Kegel exercise helps us improving our body internally. This exercise, if done in a proper and regular fashion, provides great results. This exercise may not work wonders overnight but by regular practice it will surely reap results. Some may notice changes within two weeks.

How to find the right muscle?

If you have no clue which muscle we are talking about then the answer is the one which is used while you pee. The muscle that helps you control your urinal release, i.e. start and stop urination is the pubococcygeus muscle. One should avoid doing Kegel exercise while urinating.

Is this the right muscle?

The tightening of the vagina on a squeeze by your finger would tell that you are exercising the right muscles.

Benefits of doing Kegel exercise.

-An enjoyable and painless way to reach orgasm.

-It makes your orgasm stronger and better.

-It prevents prolapse and incontinence.

-Childbirth becomes much easier and the muscles regain their strength very quickly after birth.

-Would increase your confidence level.

-More control in bed.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Breast Enhancements – Different Ways To Increase Your Breast Size

Most women would like to change the size and the shape of their breasts. And while the cosmetic changes are easy to achieve and reverse, if needed, breast augmentation surgery is not for everyone.

Surgical breast augmentation is a substantial investment of time and money, it has a lot of health consequences and the results can never be fully predictable. All together, these factors can make breast augmentation a last resort for those who want to change the size and shape of their breasts.

There are several alternatives that women can try to improve the shape of their breasts before resorting to surgery. These breast enhancement techniques range from breast enhancement creams and pills to easy breast enhancement exercises that tone all of your upper body.

Breast Enhancement Pills

Breast enhancement pills usually offer a combination of several herbal ingredients. Most often, the formula includes fenugreek, saw palmetto, Mexican wild yam, fennel, Dong Quai, damiana, and blessed thistle.

The herbal components of breast enhancement pills start a reaction similar to those that occur during puberty, when women’s breast tissue starts to grow. These herbs deliver plant estrogen, which stimulates the growth of the delicate breast tissue from inside by causing hormonal changes. Plant estrogen, as scary and medicinal as it sounds, is a natural product derived from plants and is quite mild.

It may take time to achieve the desired results with breast enhancement pills. Women with small to medium cup size when taking breast enhancement pills usually achieve their optimum results within two months. Some women continue to take breast enhancement pills on an ongoing basis because they notice other positive changes in health.

Herbal remedies, including breast enhancement pills, have many advantages over surgical breast augmentation, due to lower costs, less health risks and fewer side effects.

Breast Enhancement Creams and Lotions

This type of breast enhancement is not the most effective when used on its own. When combined with pills and exercises, breast enhancement creams can yield substantial breast size increase.

Breast enhancement creams act in pretty much the same way that the breast enhancement pills do. Typically breast enhancement cream contains a mix of herbs along with mild chemicals that stimulate the growth of fat cells in the breast without growing fat cells on other parts of the body.

Breast enhancement creams have other cosmetic effects, as they make the breasts firmer and more smooth, enhancing the total look and feel of the breasts.

Breast Enhancement Exercises

Breast enhancement exercises are perhaps the cheapest and most natural method for promoting breast growth although they require a dedicated approach to make them work.

The most popular breast enhancement exercise is a push-up. Here’s the right way to do push-ups:

1) Lie facing down on your stomach on a flat surface.

2) Bend your knees and cross your ankles.

3) Now start bending your elbows while keeping your palms in line with your shoulders.

4) Remaining balanced on your palms and elbows raise your body - keeping your ankles crossed. This way, you don't raise too much weight. Don't straighten your elbows when raising the body - it may cause damage to your joints.

5) Slowly lower your entire body, but don't lie down. You should decrease the angle only until your arms become in line with the floor.

You should try to repeat push-ups ten times, gradually increasing the repetitions as you get stronger.

Breast enhancement exercises, like any form of exercise, should be performed in sportswear, on a comfortable flat surface. If done without caution, these exercises can strain the muscles, so speak to your doctor first if you have any concerns. Don't push yourself too hard, and stop immediately if you feel unwell, be it pain or tension. Performing these breast enhancement exercises daily, or at least two to three times a week should help you achieve more round "perky" breasts. Plus, it has the added benefit of strengthening your back muscles to help improve your posture, too.

Following an exercise regime that includes push-ups you can also use breast enhancement creams and pills. When all the breast enhancement techniques are used in conjunction with each other, you can achieve optimal results.

10 Love quotes for Valentine's Day

ROMANTIC QUOTES
Instead of giving your partner a store-bought card this Valentine's Day, create your own card with one of your favorite romantic quotes. Buy blank stationery, write your husband or boyfriend a love note and include one of these quotes about love.

LOVE QUOTES FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.

~ Robert Frost

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched -- they must be felt with the heart.

~ Helen Keller

There is no remedy for love but to love more.

~ Henry David Thoreau

All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.

~ Leo Tolstoy

Brief is life but love is long.

~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

~ Franklin P. Jones

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.

~ Aristotle

One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life. That word is love.

~ Sophocles

What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork

~ Pearl Bailey

You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.

~ Henry Drummond

Valentine’s Day Tips to Give Your Man

GET THROUGH THE DAY!
Does your man lack a bit of imagination in the romance department? Is his idea of a romantic Valentine's Day a kiss on the cheek before he leaves for work? Girl, he needs some backup. Lucky for you, our style expert, Luke Reichle, is offering tips to help get him back on track. Print this out and leave it on the kitchen table or email it to him... you know, "by accident."

Valentine's Day, or as many of my guy friends like to call it, "Val the Destroyer," is responsible for more breakups, nights on the couch and withholding of "intimacy" than any other date on the calendar. But don't despair. Secrets of the Red Carpet is here to help you through this trying time. Handled properly, V-Day can be the source of enough boyfriend points to last you to, well, next Valentine's Day. So…

Plan ahead
Do this now: Take out your mobile device of choice and put an alarm on Feb. 14. Then, set a reminder for one day, two days and one week before. Set it to recur yearly from now until that year in the future when you no longer wish to get laid.

Then: Make a dinner reservation. Someplace nice. If you don't know what that means, ask if they use cloth napkins. It doesn't have to be a bank breaker, but do NOT take her to a sports bar. If you do and the night goes badly, I WILL say I told you so.

Then: Arrange for a token or tokens of your affection. The big three are:

• Flowers: Have them delivered during the day to her place of work so there will be witnesses to your awesomeness.

• Chocolate: 1) Make sure she's not allergic and 2) If she's on a diet — or even if she's not — make it small and precious. A perfect chocolate dipped strawberry is a good choice.

• Jewelry: Always welcome. Here, it really is the thought that counts. But a word of warning: If you're going to give her jewelry at dinner, make sure it's not in a ring shaped box. This sets up an expectation that will backfire badly, unless of course you're proposing marriage.

To top the evening off, or to get it going, nothing says lovin' like lingerie. Ferret out her size, and if you're not sure on styling, get advice.

Two Opinions on Marilyn Monroe

Norman Mailer said of Marilyn Monroe:

"Her stomach, untrammeled by girdles or sheaths, popped forward in a full woman's belly, inelegant as hell, an avowal of a womb fairly salivating in seed - that belly which was never to have a child - and her breasts popped buds and burgeons of flesh over many a questing sweating moviegoer's face. She was a cornucopia. She excited dreams of honey for the horn."

And Elizabeth Hurley's opinion:

"I'd kill myself if I was as fat as Marilyn Monroe."

When I came across Normal Mailer's words in his biography of Marilyn it reminded me of the famous Hurley quote and I thought the comparison between the two views of this iconic beauty was quite poignant and sad.

Hatred of a womanly body seems to be a common situation in our culture. Women are brainwashed into thinking they need to be as skinny as possible. We diet, workout, starve ourselves, judge each other harshly, and spend our lives in deprivation and desperation.

Meanwhile, men naturally adore the lush, sexual, curvy female body. They desire the soft, voluptuous bodies we women are born into.

Our natural bodies don't require stringent dieting or starvation or plastic surgery or sculpting. We are each a perfect, unique creation and the more we accept and love our womanliness, the more wonderful life feels.

The Hurley quote used to make me angry. Now it just makes me sad that we have learned to be so shallow and so mean to one another, and to ourselves, with the thoughts we have about the female body.

Do Not Let Stretch Marks Invade Your Body

Stretch marks are lines on the skin, which usually happens when the skin is stretch a lot over a short period. This can be seen especially during pregnancy. The medical term for stretch mark is stria.

Stretch marks starts as red lines on the skin that are slightly lifted. The color of the stretch marks depend on the color of the skin of the person has it. They may sometimes look pink, reddish brown or dark brown.

They are usually similar in lines. The appearance of the skin is lean and grey and sometime appears like a scar. They are usually pale and happen to be less obvious.

Stretch marks can come out anywhere on skin that has been stiffed. They normally take place on parts of the skin where fat is stocked, like the tummy, breasts, thighs and buttocks.

It is a wrong notion that only woman can have stretch marks since they are the only ones capable of conceiving. Even men can have stretch marks themselves.

What causes stretch marks is that when the skin is suddenly stretched. The outer layer of the skin is not really affected by this, but the dermis becomes thinner and develops insignificant tears.

There is an appearance of stretch marks in the body because of the following conditions:

1. Pregnancy – Almost 90 percent of women who got pregnant develop stretch mark on the areas of tummy, legs or thighs, breast and shoulders. Normally, this stretch mark appears on the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy.

2. Development of adolescence – Boys often get stretch marks on their shoulder while girls get them on their hips, thighs and breast since they tend to grow quickly.

3. Athletes – Athletes who train or go to the gym to become bigger and stronger sometimes get stretch marks.

4. Weight loss/weight gain – Putting on a lot of weight over a short time can also cause stretch marks. And if you are on a diet and intended to lose weight, there is a possibility in the appearance of stretch marks.

On relieving stretch marks, nothing is known as an exact treatment for stretch marks. But the following initial treatments might help you to slightly fade stretch marks.

Moisturizers and creams – Creams containing alpha hydroxyl acid (AHAs) can help reduce stretch marks. Creams are not yet proven to prevent stretch marks but they may lessen the ugly appearance of stretch marks.

Laser surgery – this does not remove stretch marks, but it can help them not be noticeable.

Surgery – this is a very expensive and extreme option but it can remove stretch marks bellow the belly button.

Now, in order to avoid stretch marks it is important to maintain a healthy weight. Diets that can cause your weight to change quickly can cause stretch marks.

You also have to massage your skin everyday with a moisturizer in order to improve the blood circulation that encourages new tissue to appear. It is also important to eat healthy foods, which help to keep healthy skin.

Lastly, if you are a pregnant woman and do not want to have stretch mark, eat healthy and advisable foods. It is not really recommended for you to eat a lot of food. You just need to take extra calories in order to nourish you unborn child. But take note, these calories should come from a well balanced diet.

Symptoms Of Hormone Imbalance In Women

Symptoms of hormone imbalance in women may begin as early as the late twenties to the forties. Symptoms of hormone imbalance in women tend to increase as a woman ages, especially if ignored in the earlier years. Hormone imbalance symptoms can be any one or more of the following:

Allergy symptoms 
Depression, fatigue and anxiety 
Endometriosis 
Fibrocystic breasts 
Hair loss and facial hair growth 
Headaches, dizziness and foggy thinking 
Low sex drive 
Osteoporosis 
PMS 
Urinary tract infections and incontinence 
Uterine fibroids 
Weight gain, water retention and bloating 
Wrinkly skin

Symptoms of hormone imbalance are caused primarily by the incorrect relationship between progesterone and estrogen levels in the body. The two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, exist in a delicate balance. Variations in that balance can have a dramatic effect on your health, resulting in symptoms of hormone imbalance. The amounts of these hormones that the woman's body produces from month to month can vary, depending on factors such as stress, nutrition, exercise and most importantly - ovulation or the lack of ovulation.

In the first 10-12 days of the menstrual cycle, only estrogen is produced in the female body. If ovulation occurs, then progesterone is produced by the ovaries. On day 28 or so, levels of both hormones drop, resulting in menstruation. However, if ovulation did not occur, you can still have the menstrual period, but the estrogen is never "balanced" by progesterone, which needed ovulation to trigger its production. And this results in symptoms of hormone imbalance appearing - you have estrogen but progesterone production drops to very low levels.

In the industrialized countries, women take birth control pills, are exposed to household chemicals at home, car exhaust and other environmental xenoestrogens. In addition, women often have stressful lives, eat processed foods or skip meals, take synthetic estrogen HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and have hysterectomies. All these factors can add more estrogen to the female body, resulting in excess estrogen which will cause hormone imbalance symptoms.

How can a woman tell if she is experiencing hormone imbalance symptoms? An easy, fast and effective way is to take the online test provided by a leading womens health clinic for early signs of menopause and symptoms of hormone imbalance in women. The online test takes just a few minutes and is free.

Abdominal Hysterectomy Recovery Time After Hysterectomy

Having an abdominal hysterectomy and the recovery time after hysterectomy are significant events in any woman's life. Since an abdominal hysterectomy is an in-patient surgical procedure, you should plan on being away from home and work during the surgery and perhaps during the beginning recovery time after hysterectomy. The length of the hospital stay depends on what type of hysterectomy you have, how your surgery goes and what your doctor recommends.

While the hysterectomy recovery may take a few weeks, here are things you can do to help speed up your hysterectomy recovery time:

1. Take all the pain relievers your doctor has prescribed. You will want to be as comfortable as possible during your recovery time after hysterectomy.

2. Keep sanitary pads handy since you may have some discharge and bloody drainage for several days after your abdominal hysterectomy.

3. Use a heating pad over your abdomen and another under it, if necessary. Be careful and do not sleep with a heating pad in direct contact with the skin because doing so can burn you.

4. Avoid all lifting after the abdominal hysterectomy surgery and during the post hysterectomy period. Just ask others to do all the lifting for you.

5. Avoid dairy foods during the post hysterectomy time since dairy products will tend to cause constipation. Pain medications taken during the recovery time after hysterectomy also tend to make you constipated.

6. Avoid alcoholic beverages totally during the recovery time after hysterectomy, especially while taking medications.

7. Drink 8-10 glasses of filtered water each day to adequately flush your system of toxins which would otherwise accumulate and cause discomfort or illness. Drinking pure clear water daily is a healthy habit to continue even once you are fully recovered.

8. Eat as healthy as you can since your body needs nutrients to help with healing. Be sure and include cold-water fish, turkey, chicken, organic bread, soups, salads, fruits and broths.

9. Take the best vitamin/mineral/nutritional supplement you can find. It's not just about the vitamins and minerals. Providing your body with important nutritional supplements is a good idea before and after your abdominal hysterectomy to help fill in the dietary gaps that everyone will have.

10. Use your recovery time after hysterectomy to really take care of yourself. Listen to your favorite music, watch your favorite television programs and read your favorite books. Relax and give your body a chance to adjust and recover from the surgery.

After an abdominal hysterectomy, women will likely experience a deficiency of the critical hormones progesterone, estrogen and testosterone. If only the uterus is removed in a partial hysterectomy, progesterone levels will fall dramatically in one to two months and estrogen levels will decrease in one or two years. Progesterone deficiency is related to numerous side effects including increased risk of developing certain kinds of cancer, including endometrial cancer. Testosterone deficiency in women causes low sex drive, low energy levels, thyroid deficiency and depression. Estrogen deficiency can result in vaginal dryness, hot flashes and night sweats.

Women considering abdominal hysterectomy or having had the procedure should seek the help of physicians trained in the use of natural bio-identical hormones. Bio-identical hormones are hormones that are identical to what the body makes and what normally would exist in the body. Synthetic drugs such as Premarin, Provera and Prempro are not natural nor the same as the body makes, and these kinds of synthetic drugs have numerous side effects.

There is a hormone health test provided by a leading women's health clinic that you can take online. The test takes just a few minutes and is free. Learn as much as you can about hormone imbalance, the recovery time after hysterectomy and physician-recommended natural alternatives for hormone replacement therapy.

Your Metabolism And Fat Loss

If you know someone that has been trying to lose weight and get into shape, you have probably heard words such as, "I just eat one meal a day to lose weight" or "I'm afraid if I eat, I'll gain weight" but sadly, this misnomer is why so many people are in the "battle of the bulge". People all over the world still believe that eating breakfast, or even three meals a day will cause them to gain weight. In truth, as long as they are eating the right types of foods and exercising, then three normal meals or six small meals a day will actually work better with their metabolism than eating the wrong quantities or not eating often enough.

With more than half of Americans over the age of 20 now being considered "overweight", now more than ever, we need to understand how metabolism works in relation to losing weight. Why risk having a heart attack, a stroke, developing cancer, or diabetes when all you have to do is make a few minor changes and live a healthy life? First, a person's metabolic rate is determined by the number and size of respiring cells that compromise the body's tissue, and the intensity of the metabolism in these cells. These two factors combined are what makeup the physiological foundation of the amount of energy (calories) in which a body uses.

Keep in mind that energy cannot be created or destroyed, just changed. As we know, potential energy comes from the foods we eat. When talking about weight loss, there are three components of balanced energy, which include calorie intake, calories stored, and calories expended. The way it works is that if the amount of calories taken in equals the amount of calories being expended (burned), then there is balance and the body's weight is stable.

On the other hand, if the balance becomes positive, caused by more food being eaten than is burned, energy is destroyed or in better terms, stored as body fat. It is important to remember that you can be eating a diet considered low-fat and still gain weight. The reason is that most dietary fat is stored while the body is burning carbohydrates and proteins for energy. The problem is the when a person gains weight, the increased level of fat becomes stored energy until the calorie balance is negative. For that to happen, the amount of calories burned needs to exceed the number of calories being consumed, no matter what the macronutrient content.

Metabolism is the rate at which the body uses energy to support the basic functions essential to sustain life. This metabolism is comprised of three parts, which include physical activity (20%), Thermic Effect of Food, also called TEF (10%), and Resting Metabolism Rate or REM (70%). Physical activity is the amount of energy your body burns up during normal, daily activities to include housework, recreation, work, exercise, and so on. Obviously, someone that is physically active will burn more energy than a sedentary person will. TEF accounts for the energy used in digesting and absorbing nutrients, which would vary depending on the meal's composition. When a person overeats, TEF is increased because more food must be digested. Here is where metabolism becomes very interesting and what causes so much confusion.

One pound is equal to 3,500 calories, so let us say a person consumes 3,500 more calories than normal. That individual would not gain one pound because the TED is accounted for but if 3,500 calories were cut trying to lose weight, then TEF decreases since there would be fewer nutrients to process. The result is that with energy expenditure would decrease, meaning that the individual would lose less than one pound in weight. In other words, by cutting out too much food, TEF cannot work as it was designed to do. Now keep in mind that you cannot go around eating a bunch of junk food. After all, the calories you do consume need to be healthy foods but what this does mean is that when you do not eat, you are actually working against your body in fighting weight gain, not the other way around.

Finally, the RMR refers to the number of calories the body needs to run its essential functions, as well as chemical reactions while in a rested state. This aspect of metabolism accounts for the greatest number of calories burned every day. What happens is that if lean weight should be lost because of increased protein metabolism, then RMR decreases. Typically, you would see this happen when a person goes on a very strict diet. In this situation, the body is forced into a negative nitrogen balance, which means a greater amount of protein is lost than what is replaced because of less protein/energy intake. When this imbalance occurs, there is a gradual loss of lean weight, which then lowers RMR.

What happens many times is that dieters will limit the amount of lean weight loss with intense exercise for the muscles to develop a need to maintain more protein. When this happens, the body is forced to use more energy from stored fats. If you want to put your metabolism to work for you, some simple steps can be taken:

* By adding a few extra pounds of lean muscle, the metabolic rate can be increased by up to 200% each day * Remember that lean weight can burn as much as 20 times more calories than fat weight * Regular exercise is one of the best ways to boost metabolism * By eating smaller meals and more often, you can boost your metabolism rate

While you need to eat healthy foods, studies prove that what matters most is how much of a person's body weight is attributed to fat. Remember, excess fat is what links to major health problems. Therefore, it is important that you maintain a healthy weight but more crucial that you monitor the fat-to-muscle ratio.

For example, a woman standing 5'5" might weigh only 125 pounds but have a 27% body fat ratio, which is not good. This individual worked hard to diet, while staying involved with aerobics. However, much of what she lost was not fat, but muscle. Even though this weight would be considered ideal for her height, her body fat to muscle ratio is too high.

An excellent way to optimize your fat-to-muscle ratio is by getting involved with weight training in addition to the nutrition and cardio. As you will see with the tools provided at www.comptracker.com, you can analyze the thickness of the subcutaneous fat at various areas of the body. The benefit is that you know exactly what your ratios are so you can achieve a healthy fat-to-muscle ratio as well as body weight.

Remember, you are in control and need to make the decision to do something good for yourself. Therefore, now is the time to take that control and fight to live a lean and healthy lifestyle.

Summary:
If you know someone that has been trying to lose weight and get into shape, you have probably heard words such as, "I just eat one meal a day to lose weight" or "I'm afraid if I eat, I'll gain weight" but sadly, this misnomer is why so many people are in the "battle of the bulge". People all over the world still believe that eating breakfast, or even three meals a day will cause them to gain weight. In truth, as long as they are eating the right types of foods and exercising,...

Your Three-Step Fat Attack - Part One of Three

Today you are reading Part One. This is a Three-Part article.

With so many varying recommendations on how to approach losing your body fat, many crucial details tend to slip into through one ear, yet right out of the other, quick, fast, and in a hurry. Yes, it’s true that you hear so many conflicting ideas about health, diet, fitness, and weight management. Why does so much instructional or informational variation exist? Which parts are factual? What are the concepts, ideas, or truths that can really help you?

Likely, the GREATEST fact you can benefit from right away is the following: to lose body fat assuredly, you need a three-part fat attack strategy, and your methodological system needs to be a truly solid one. The three parts, of course, you already know WHAT they are. However, what you are more likely to lack is acute and chronic skill or savvy regarding exactly HOW and WHEN to mix these intricately related weight loss pieces together.

Let’s explore each one here, just a little, that is, 1) diet-foods-nutrition, 2) physical action-movement-exercise; and 3) reeducation-strategy-knowledge acquisition/enhancement/upgrading. Perhaps there’s a clue for you in the fact that the latter of these vital elements above is quite lengthy.

Here's one solid scientific fact you might observe. You are more likely to adopt and adhere to solid diet or exercise lifestyle when you educate yourself. You grow more, when you know more... about your approach, your limits, your potential, and your benefits.

Occasionally, you may tend to ignore important and crucial facts about fitness or nutrition. At times you just can't help that. It's a small part of human nature. Plus, you probably hear a lot of "crap" these days, particularly concerning “carbs – to be or not to be,” and/or the “best and only time of day to exercise.” After a while, though you don't really want them to, your ears simply become numb to the barrage of junk information. Then, you assume that no one really knows what they're talking about anymore. You might even mistakenly include accredited professionals into that stereotype, too. Perhaps, you even express your own opinion as true fitness fact without receiving support from science and community.

Time after time, you try things that don't work. Yet, once in a while, you try something that does. Is what you tried still working for you? Probably not. Consider cutting to the chase about excess, loose tissue... hanging around in places you don't want it to. Your formidable enemy is likely to be "saturated" fat. Here's a professional tip that can help you now and far into your future. Gain a thorough understanding of this "Three-Step Fat Attack" concept. It’s a relatively new concept, yet the power lies in the fact that although each area can afford you some weight loss productivity, combining the three yields geometrically improved results.

It might not be such a natural tendency for you to try new things. You may not even have the luxury of acquiring formal knowledge on nutrition, fitness, or weight management. That leaves you with trial and error as major modus operandi. Then, your weight loss solutions stem from incorrect data such as: rumors, old tales, things that you have "heard about," or just plain old advertising hype.

(Believe it or not, we’re still talking about part three – reeducation-strategy-knowledge acquisition/enhancement/upgrading – because all of the above has to do with know-how and knowledgeable approach to weight loss, avoiding unnecessary time, trouble and effort.)

Now's your time to concentrate on a focused, weight management approach that works with long-term reliability. What you need is plain and simple. However, you need to realize right now that you can easily fall into one not-so-obvious trap. This trap catches most people who are seeking solutions to a diet or exercise problem. You can avoid it from now on. That common trap is NOT REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE INFORMATION YOU RECEIVE, underestimating it, or taking it for granted without deeper exploration, inspection, and investigation.

Yes, this is where you can place your focus... on increasing comprehension. And, how can you grasp complex details without expanding your ability to process that knowledge? Easy. Learn about it. This moves us to the very first step in your "Three-Step Fat Attack," which follows:

1. Read.

2. Apply.

3. Maintain.

Yes, it's that simple. Yet, do you really understand it? First, here's an easy way to remember it... you have to RAM this approach into your arsenal of diet exercise tools. That's right. RAM IT IN! Here's your detailed breakdown for R. A. M.:

STEP ONE - "R." = "Read accredited sources of information."

You can expect to find that these sources might be slightly "unpopular." Now, understand what "unpopular" really means. Unpopular simply means this type of news is not sitting out on the stands just waiting for you to pick it up. This is not the dazzling, interest-grabbing, highly publicized, or TV advertised gossip. Accredited, accurate, helpful, long-lasting, scientific data is not so easily located. You have to find it. You have to do your homework. Do some research. Yet, even with research, you need to have a central idea of what you are looking to explain.

We’ll explore the weight loss difficulty involved and the viable solution in Part Two.

Summary:
To lose body fat assuredly, you need a three-part fat attack strategy, and your methodological system needs to be a truly solid one. The three parts, of course, you already know WHAT they are. However, you are more likely to lack savvy regarding exactly HOW and WHEN to mix these intricately related weight loss pieces together. Explore each one here: 1) diet-foods-nutrition, 2) physical action-movement-exercise; and 3) reeducation-strategy-knowledge acquisition/enhancement/upgrading.

Your Tummy Fat Could Be Killing You!

Tummy fat. Some of us have it, others don't. Is there anything special about a big belly compared to a large bottom? Well, surprisingly, not all body fat is created equal! According to a study carried out by researchers from MacMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario it seems that gauging your heart attack risk depends on where your fat is, rather that how much fat you have.

These types of findings are not unique to MacMasters. Dr David Heber, Ph.D., from UCLA’s Centre for Human Nutrition reports that distribution of body fat is a more important predictor of heart attack risk than the traditional measurement of Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a measurement based on the ratio between your height and weight.

It appears that a more accurate predictor of the impact body fat has on your health, is your overall body shape. You may be more like an apple or a pear, or evenly shaped top and bottom. You may have large thighs, fat hips and a huge bum and have a lower heart attack risk than someone with skinny legs and a big belly.

A more accurate and telling predictor of heart attack risk, is the waist-to-hip ratio.

What is your waist-to-hip ratio?

Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. For example, if your hips measurement is 40 inches and your waist is 34 inches your hip-to-waist ratio is 0.85. If you are a man, that's great, if you are a woman, that's OK (but you are right on the limit of healthy).

- A man's ratio should not be over 0.90

- A woman's ratio should not be over 0.85

Don’t fight nature

If you were born an apple you will stay an apple and if you were born a pear you will continue to be appear. Accepting your natural body shape is the first step in losing weight. In a study led by Glasgow, Scotland, psychologist Dorothy Hefferman, Ph.D., researchers concluded that women whose actual body shape differs from their desired one may find losing weight frustrating and have more trouble sticking to a weight-loss program as a result.

If this sounds like you, accept your overall shape as nature intended, but pay attention to reducing fat around your middle and tummy areas. Circumference is much more important to your health than how you look in relation to your bust and bottom.

Summary:
Tummy fat. Some of us have it, others don't. Is there anything special about a big belly compared to a large bottom? Well, surprisingly, not all body fat is created equal! According to a study carried out by researchers from MacMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario it seems that gauging your heart attack risk depends on where your fat is, rather that how much fat you have.

Your Weight Loss Program in as Easy as a Week

The idea of the weight loss program is to be able for you to develop a consistent approach to weight loss as well as a healthy endurance when exercising.  The weight loss program’s objective is to get rid of the excesses in your body, the excess fat.  Not the healthy and lean muscle tissues and body fluids. 

The weight loss program first requires your focus and dedication, so therefore you need to be prepared in both mind and – of course – body.  It is highly advised that you first visit your doctor for a check-up before embarking on any weight loss program.

It is important that when starting on any weight loss program, one should be positive enough to work for the results.  Some people get impatient easily but long term effects are assured as long as one sticks to the weight loss plan at hand.

Stretch and stretch some more.  Before actually doing those exercises and working out those muscles, a little stretching is needed in order to avoid any injury or soreness in your body.

It is also not advisable for anyone to try too hard.  Everything should be done in moderation.  Find the level of exercise and training that suits you.  It should be enough for you to be comfortable in but not too convenient that it will not be much of a challenge. 
The first week.

The first day of the weight loss program involves a long and steady walk in a little over twenty minutes.  After the walk, follow it up with a good stretch.  This takes so little of your time for the first day.  In less than an hour you have taken that first step to a weight loss program that could work to your advantage.

By the second day, it is good to focus on an upper body workout.  This maintains your strength to be able to go through the whole weight loss program for the week.  On the third day, a brisk walk or jog for ten minutes is in order.  For beginners, a lower body workout should be done in the evening.

In the fourth day, a good rest is in order, as well as a good stretch.  This lag time should be used wisely though to sort out any negatives in your mindset.  The fifth day starts with a good ten minute walk.  Exercise the lower body in four sessions of workouts, follow this up with another ten minute walk, and another four sessions of lower body workout.

The sixth day should be spent on a low impact exercise such as swimming.  To avoid boredom, do not be afraid to try something new.  The last day of the week is a time to solicit the support of the people you care about.  Spend time with them or get them to be with you in your long walk.  Again, follow up your walk with a light upper body workout. 

This is just the beginning though.  If by this first week you are able to stick to the weight loss program, you have a great chance to further boost your weight loss and stay with the program until you achieve your desired result.  Try as much as possible to be unlike the people who give up easily just because they could not see the result they want at the time they want – like this moment, today, now!   Patience is a virtue.  The same way it took your body time to gain all that weight, think about it as the time your body will have to exert just to get rid of it. Stick to the weight loss program and you will lose weight.

Summary:
The idea of the weight loss program is to be able for you to develop a consistent approach to weight loss as well as a healthy endurance when exercising.  The weight loss program’s objective is to get rid of the excesses in your body, the excess fat.  Not the healthy and lean muscle tissues and body fluids.

Zone Diet - Criticism

One diet may not work or suit on everyone. The Zone Diet Plan is a moderate plan to be followed.

The Zone Diet does not only calcuslate fat and protein match but relates calorie burn as well. It considers the significance of other ingredients as well to maintain a balanced diet. The Zone Diet will highlight the use and side effects of fats proteins, and unlike others, of carbohydrates as well. Carbohydrates affect the hormonal activities and the level of insulin in a human body. A disturbance in these internal systems leads to heart diseases and cancers. This is what the Zone Diet takes concern of.

A Zone Diet will suit every being as it keeps a balance between fats, proteins, carbohydrates and all other healthy ingredients. This balancing gives a healthy development of hormonal activities along with a loss in weight.

Despite the fact that The Zone Diet stresses on the consequence of carbohydrates for affective hormonal activities involving the hormones like Eicosanoids that relates to different metabolic courses but its shortage is also related to chubbiness and many other diseases. Nevertheless, there is no scientific confirmation for the remarks suggested by the Zone Diet plan.

Summary:
People all over the world, of any creed, race or community are weight conscious. They have different reasons for this. Some want to look good, some desire as weight loss while some need to be healthy. We can see people working hard to follow the trend. Gyms and diet plans are being used all over today. Diet plans are to be followed in accordance to different bodies and their potentials to loose weight.

"Fad" Weight Loss Diet

Obesity is a physical state that refers to excessive body fat. Chances are you have experienced the frustrations of dieting at least once in your life, if you have problems with your weight. Close to a hundred million Americans go on a weight loss diet in any given year and up to ninety-five percent of them regain the weight they lose within five years. Worse, a third will gain back more weight than they lost, in danger of "yo-yoing" from one popular diet to another. The conventional approach to weight problems, focusing on fad weight loss diets or weight loss drugs, may leave you with just as much weight and the additional burden of ill health.

Today, an estimated sixty-five percent of all American adults are obese or overweight. Our culture obsesses about staying thin even as we grow fatter, but this isn’t about appearances. Obesity is known to be a precursor to many debilitating health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and gallbladder disease. Obesity contributes to as many as 375,000 deaths every year. In addition, the public health costs for obesity are staggering. According to researchers at Harvard University, obesity is a factor in 19% of all cases of heart disease with annual health costs estimated at 30 billion dollars; it’s also a factor in 57% of diabetes cases, with health costs of $9 billion per year.

Set Realistic Goals:

No doubt you have fallen for one or more of the weight loss diet schemes over the years, promising quick and painless weight loss. Many of these quick weight loss diet programs undermine your health, cause physical discomfort, flatulence, and ultimately lead to disappointment when you start regaining weight, shortly after losing it. Fad or quick weight loss diet programs generally overstress one type of food. They contravene the fundamental principle of good nutrition - to remain healthy one must consume a balanced diet, which includes a variety of foods. Safe, healthy, and permanent weight reduction is what’s truly lost among the thousands of popular diet schemes.

Some of the weight loss diet schemes reign supreme briefly, only to fade out. While some wane from popularity due to being unproductive or unsafe, some simply lose the public's curiosity. Examples of such fad diets include the South Beach Diet, Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, Cabbage Soup diet, the Rotation diet, Beverly Hills diet, Breatharian, Ornish Plan – the list goes on and on. These fad diets advocate a specific technique (such as eliminating a certain food, or eating only certain combinations of foods) in conjunction with the basic idea that the body makes up the difference in energy by breaking down and utilizing some part of itself, essentially converting matter into energy. This self-cannibalism, or catabolism as it is referred, typically starts with breakdown of stored body fat.

Summary:
Obesity is killing us but using fad or extreme weight loss schemes may be making it worse!

Change What You Crave By Changing How You Think: The 5 Step Mental Method

If I were to ask you which foods temp you, most likely they wouldn’t be ones that are very healthy. I bet they would be ice cream, potato chips, pizza, or something along those lines. In fact, in your mind right now as you’re reading, you are probably thinking about a food that isn’t healthy. Well, aren’t you? Stop for a moment and think about it……………….. The point I’m going to make in this article is that you can change what you crave by changing how you think.

Every new client that comes to my office for weight-loss has a “craving problem.” But I don’t see it as a problem at all. I see it as a solution. Cravings are over-rated. They are hodge-podge and we don’t have to be controlled by them. We don’t have to feel temped by ice cream, cookies or 20-ounce prime ribs. Instead, we can be tempted by watermelon, pineapple, oranges or apples; foods like that. Think that sounds crazy? Well it isn’t and you’ll see why.

When I first sit down and talk with a client about their eating habits, I gather everything I need to know about exactly what they eat and how they eat. The culprit to their weight problem always boils down to snacking, picking, eating foods that are unhealthy or just plain over-eating. Then I’ll ask them what fruits and vegetables they like. I’m yet to come across someone who hates fruit or hates every vegetable under the sun. Finally I’ll ask them how often they eat fruits or vegetables and it’s always a lot less often than the unhealthy stuff.

After I’ve gathered my arsenal of information, we do our thing. I’ll have my clients lay back in my recliner and close their eyes. I’ll direct their mind to a peaceful place, and within minutes they’ll be relaxed like never before. Then I start talking about their favorite fruits and vegetables. I’ll ask them to imagine taking a bite of their favorite juicy, ripe fruit and to feel the juices tickling their taste buds. I’ll say to their mind, “from now on anytime you have a craving for food, you will think of a juicy, ripe piece of fruit. And bingo!!! Next thing you know these are exactly the kinds of foods they start desiring. Why? Because anytime you close your eyes and bring yourself to a calm, relaxed place, your subconscious mind emerges, and it is this part of the mind that controls what you crave. Change your thoughts and you’ll change what you crave. Simple.

Let’s look at this from another perspective. Let’s say pineapple is your favorite fruit. Now, if you were sitting with me right now and I gave you a juicy chunk of it, you would enjoy it thoroughly. And you’d want more, right? Of course. Now, let’s say I reached into my refrigerator, whipped-out a piece of chocolate cake and said, “choose one.” Most likely you would opt for the pineapple because you just had a teaser-piece, which would make your mind want more. The fact of the matter is this: you enjoy your favorite fruits just as much as you enjoy your favorite junk foods, you just believe otherwise.

Again, cravings are over-rated. The mere mention of that devilish word always seems to conjures-up images of high calorie, high fat foods only because these are the foods you are most exposed to in our media driven world. Your subconscious gets accustomed to this and just doesn’t know any better. Change your minds images and you’ll change your cravings. Here’s a quick 5 minute mental exercise you can begin doing now to help you start changing the way you crave food.

Step 1: Find a comfortable, quiet place where there are no distractions. Begin breathing deeply until you are quite relaxed. Next, count backwards from 10-1, slowly. With each count, imagine that your mind is drifting deeper and deeper.

Step 2: After you have finished counting, imagine that you are relaxing by yourself in your favorite place. A secluded beach or a log in the woods will do the trick. Imagine yourself feeling so very relaxed and peaceful.

Step 3: Next, imagine a basket full of your favorite fresh picked fruit sitting right next to you. See it clearly in your mind, the color, the feel, everything about that fruit. Imagine taking a bite of that juicy fruit and enjoying it like never before.

Step 4: Repeat the following suggestion to yourself 10 times: “From now on, anytime I think of eating, I immediately feel a craving for fruit.”

Step 5: Count from 1 to 5, slowly, and when you reach 5 open your eyes.

Summary:
Are cravings controlling your eating habits? Well, they don't have to anymore. Cravings are overated. Learn how to use your mind to change what you crave. You will lose weight.

Who's Your Reason?

Every 21 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes. Every 21 seconds, there is a new reason to walk. Who's your reason? The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has launched a new theme designed to bring the reality of the diabetes epidemic into perspective. The "Every 21 Seconds" message will be the main theme at America's Walk for Diabetes events across the country. Every 21 seconds, a white and red bandana will be handed out to participants, accompanied by the sounding of a horn or drum, which signifies another person who is diagnosed with diabetes in this country. At the conclusion of the event, the vast array of bandanas will create a strong visual representation of the devastation of diabetes in America.

America's Walk for Diabetes is ADA's signature walking event to raise funds for diabetes research, education and advocacy. This premier event brings together friends, family members and co-workers across the country for up to a six-mile walk. Nearly 21 million children and adults nationwide suffer from diabetes and another 41 million are at risk for the condition. The ADA works to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by the disease.

Diabetes is the fifth-leading cause of death by disease in the United States. If present trends continue, one in three Americans, and one in two minorities, born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. To date, the American Diabetes Association has raised and donated more than $300 million for diabetes research.

The national presenting sponsor for ADA's America's Walk for Diabetes is Equal Sweetener. Equal, along with the other national corporate sponsors, Cary's Sugar Free Syrup, Diet Rite, and Kmart Pharmacy, shares a commitment to providing diabetes awareness, education and solutions for people living with diabetes.

Summary:
Every 21 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes. Every 21 seconds, there is a new reason to walk. Who's you reason?

Women, Diabetes and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: How Exercise Can Help

Some women are at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes because of a syndrome that often goes undiagnosed: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, affects between six and ten percent of women who are of childbearing age. One of the symptoms of PCOS is often excess weight gain, with that weight carried around the abdomen. Reducing the risks of developing type 2 diabetes in women with PCOS involves, in part, improving insulin sensitivity.

If you have symptoms such as irregular or infrequent menstrual cycles, acne, excessive body or facial hair, you may have PCOS. PCOS causes a hormonal imbalance that can cause these types of symptoms. Your doctor will be able to identify the syndrome and direct you to appropriate treatment to control the condition and prevent future complications such as heart disease, infertility, endometrial cancer, and diabetes.

Women with PCOS should be sure to eat a healthy diet, and include regular exercise each week. Maintaining a healthy weight, and losing any extra pounds, will not only help to prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes, it will also help to reduce the symptoms associated with PCOS.

There are some women that, even with increased exercise and a healthy diet, will not lose weight. Will these women still benefit? Studies have shown that exercising has healthy benefits, regardless of its effect on weight. Exercise affects how the body metabolizes carbohydrates (glucose), and improves insulin sensitivity, both of which help to prevent diabetes from developing. As our body becomes less sensitive to insulin, the pancreas increases its production of insulin to try to compensate. By exercising, and improving our body's sensitivity to insulin, we keep the pancreas from working overtime.

Losing weight can be particularly important to women, not only for the health benefits, but also because of the effect on energy and self-esteem. Even if the exercise does not help you to lose weight in the short term, it will still have a benefit to your health. Before starting an exercise program, it is important to check with your doctor. They may have recommendations on starting a program, or cautions based on your personal medical history.

There are several ways to start an exercise program; the key is finding what works for you. You may choose to ride a stationary bike, swim, walk, or dance.

Walking is a great way to begin a habit of regular exercise. Women who enjoy a daily walk report feeling better, sleeping better, and experience less moods swings. Should you decide to start a walking program, make sure you have a quality pair of walking shoes. Your local running store can provide you with information on the style of shoe best for you. When you begin, do not worry about your speed, or how long you walk. Even a slow-paced walk will be good for your health, and as you build up stamina, you will be able to increase the length of your walk. Start out slow, studies show that even a slow-paced walk is good to your health. As you continue your program, you will probably find your stamina builds up and you can add more distance to your walk. An excellent goal to work towards is a thirty-minute walk every day.

Summary:
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is often a contributing factor to the development of type 2 diabetes in women. Learn how exercise can help to alleviate the symptoms of PCOS, as well as reduce the risk of diabetes.