Body Shaping is Easier Than You Thought (Basic)

Look around you and you will notice that more and more people are gaining exponential weight and less and less desirable shape are visible amongst women. We can blame it on lifestyle changes as much as we want or accept that the chance for health and wellbeing lies within each of us, and take steps to be healthy from the inside out.

Dont be flustered by the images of the perfect body that bombard us constantly via the tvs, internet, shopping, driving or even in our sleeps. We will never get rid of them but we can definitely rid ourself of the inadequate and ugly feelings of self by taking charge. I did it, you can also, and it doesnt have to cost you a fortune or an overdraft of time.

Dont have a gym membership? You can be your own gym. Worried about not having the time. Problem solved. You can sculpt that perfect (or almost) body in weeks woking out on your own time without anyone even knowing you are. Some can be done while at your desk working (for those whose job are more sedentary), or even while walking to and from your daily activities, the others can be done in the privacy and comfort of your home. Remember your health on the inside is visible to all on the outside.

Soon Halle Berry and Brat Pitt will have nothing over you. Your health and well being is just a few minutes per day away.


This is my daily routine:

1. WARM-UP.
The warm up activities are a crucial part of any exercise regime or sports training. The importance of a structured warm up routine should not be under estimated when it comes to the prevention of sports injury. Be warned, but not scared.

For me, 5 - 10 minutes minimum of light to gradually increasing joggng along with stretching of the target muscles to get them ready for shaping works well. Once I have started sweating in all body areas and my entire body is warm, I know its a good indication that my body is ready to move on to getting some work out done.

ISOMETRICS
Isometric exercise is a form of resistance training in which the participant uses the muscles of the body to exert a force either against an immovable object or to hold the muscle in a fixed position for a set duration of time. In this type of exercise, the muscle is contracted but does not change length during the exertion of force. Additionally the joint most closely associated with the effort remains static throughout the exercise.

Get a squeeze ball, a cushion or something to increase the resistance against your force. For those who hate the gym, isometrics is good for you, but if you are gunning for that well-sculpted body, isometrics alone is insufficient

5 PERFECTLY EASY & SAFE LOWER BODY EXERCISES

1. Static Lunges
The Lunge is a simple but very effective exercise for the legs. It involves balance and coordination, which is very useful for sports as well as muscle development. The dumbell version of the Lunge is the easiest to start with though it can also be done with a barbell. Some other forms of lunges include the reverse, drop, forward, side lunges

2. Squats
In strength training, the squat is an exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body. Squats are considered a vital exercise for increasing the strength and size of the legs and buttocks. Despite their popularity, squats have frequently resulted in injuries to the lumbar spine and knees, requiring modification from the standard squat with an olympic bar, with multiple variants now used.

There are various types of squats including the sumo, prison, static, humping, split, etc to chose from.

3. Step-ups
Step Ups are one of those exercises that seem like a good idea, but you're never exactly sure if you're doing anything. Worry no more because Step Ups really do work the glutes and the hamstrings. The trick is to make sure you're stepping up onto a platform that's high enough to really activate those muscle fibers, about 15 inches high should be good. Holding dumbbells can add some nice intensity to the movement and, in this version, I show it with a band wrapped under the step which really adds intensity if you keep the tension up.

4. Pull-ups
A pull-up is an upper body compound pulling exercise where the body is suspended by extended arms, then pulled up until the elbows are bent and the head is higher than the hands, utilizing an overhand (pronated) grip.

5. Curls (leg, bicepts, hamstring etc)
An exercise, usually performed lying on the stomach with weights, in which one lifts one or both heels towards the buttocks and then returns to the starting position, while the rest of the body is kept immobile.

Bust a sweat. Very soon, your health will be inside out

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Don't Be the Victim of a Crack Cocaine Addict

The saying 'been to hell and back' not only rings true in the life of the crack cocaine addict but moreso in that of the family and close friends of the addict who suffer indescribable hurt from the ravages of the drug in the psyche, mind body and soul of the addict, watching him become a zombie to the drug and losing material values and ones sanity from this insidious enemy.

If these loved ones are not helped they will become the perpetual victims of this addict and suffer irreparable damages to their lives and future. But, the consolation in all this is, you dont have to surrender to hurt, you can arm yourself with the necessary information to prevent you from being that next victim of a crack cocaine addict.

Get the Facts:
Other than marijuana (ganja), crack cocaine is the most widely used drug in the Western Hemisphere. Although called the 'rich man's drug' because of the high cost per dose, it addicts are found in both rich and poor social classes as well as those affected by it.

According to www.wikipedia.com/addiction, In medical terminology, an addiction is a chronic neuro-biological disorder that has genetic, psychosocial, and environmental dimensions and is characterized by one of the following: the continued use of a substance despite its detrimental effects, impaired control over the use of a drug (compulsive behavior), and preoccupation with a drug's use for non-therapeutic purposes (i.e. craving the drug). Addiction is often accompanied by the presence of deviant behaviors such as stealing money to obtain a drug.

It all starts in the BRAIN. The brain is an intricate systems organ that controls all body functions that guide and direct behaviour toward stimuli that are critical to one’s natural survival. When a person takes a psychoactive drug (chemicals that cause a psychological effect) such as crack cocaine, and experiences the effect (that is of reward and reinforcement), the normal brain function that controls perception, mood, consciousness and behavior is altered. What happens is that the drug increases the person's need for the drug by activating the normal circuits in the brain that is responsible for responding to stimuli such as environmental, people, objects etc., to make it respond to the drug as though it were normal the stimuli.
The more often the activity is repeated, the more the brain becomes (re-)wired to respond to these stimuli, which gets stronger with time, causing dependence and even when the person has stopped taking the drug, can relapse from what is called ’cravings’. This is when the brain signals the need for the drug by the most minute of stimuli. This could be from the sight or smell of the drug.

Crack cocaine addiction can quickly happen in the first smoke but can take a lifetime to rid of and in the process can destroy countless lives and untold potentials. Don't become a victim

Think Logically not Emotionally
The crack addict is a master manipulator: he knows how, when, what, what where to say in order to gain the advantage over the targeted person in getting his next fix. He will always manipulate the emotions of love, passion and empathy among others to play on your 'soft spot', towards getting his way.
If you allow your heart to do the thinking instead of the brain, be prepared to suffer the consequences of a fool. [While in a session with a crack addict, he tried to get me to accept his reasoning on a rather emotive issue, but I refused to be trapped by him. In my poignant response, pointed out to him that the body is intricately designed with system orgams that were structure-to-function linked. The brain being one, is made up of grey matter and is responsible for cognitive and sun-caranial functions, the heart on the other hand is comprised of cardiac tissue and plays the role of driving force for the circulation of the living fluid tissue in vessels throughout the body. If, I told him, the roles were confussed, we would be dead in minutes]. That is what will happen if the unsuspecting 'victim' becomes prey to the crack addict.
Always be on the defensive (passively though). Being defensive around a crackie sharpens logical thinking and logical thinking preceeds rational behaviour.

Avoid getting emotionally involved with the addict. Sexual interaction is one of the surest way of getting emotionally involved and as such must be totally avoided at all costs. Because females develop emotional bonds through sex, male addicts use it as the gateway to manipulating her for his selfish exploits, that is getting his next fix. But if you do get involved sexually, an effective barrier protection MUST be used. STIs is a common denominator among crack addicts. The Siegal et al., 1992 research have associated crack cocaine use with high-risk sex, including unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners and one crack addict admitted to me that in his perpetual quest for his next fix, he trades his body when no other resource is available for barter. He further explained that the more risqué the behaviour, the higher the rewards in what is known on the streets as sex-for-crack.

Do Not Give or Lend Money
Money is the most enabling of values. Without money, the crack addict will not have crack. Leaving your handbag or wallet in the sight of the addict is a sure way of courting theft of property. Money, no matter how small is always a a magnet for the junkie.
Lending money to an addict is equal to a bad debt. Once you start lending a crackie money you open up the pandora box for problems and conflicts with the crackie and others. Moneys leant will never be repaid. Simply put, you will nbe in a lose-lose situation.

Secure Your Valuables
Nothing is sacred or off-limits for the crackie. If it is tangible, it can be sold, that is his slogan he lives by. In the absence of money, easily movable, small valuable items are a jackpot for the crack addict. Once a cokehead is around please safely secure all personal items. Jewelry, and electronic gadgets such as laptops and accessories, digital cameras, high-end mobile phones,PDAs etc are always in demand on the street, amd are usually the primary target. Other items that will be pawned of are anythingelse such as items of sentimental value, clothing (new and used), furniture,books, just about everything.

It is advised to copy the product identification number of your personal valuables in the event of a theft, you may be able to identify them when recovered.

Do Not Trust A Crack Addict:
Compulsive lying, kleptomania, are just some of the characteristic traits of a crackie, therefore take every precaution when dealing with one. One of the first rule of thumb is DO NOT BELIEVE A WORD HE SAYS. Regardless of how plausible it may sound, the crack addict is a schemer and will falsify anything that will earn him the targeted reactiom to get his next fix.

Keep Your Guard Up:
Do not let your guard down by having him believe you are his friend and ally. This will prove detrimental as he will take your kindness for weakness and prey on your affections. He will make demands of loyalty to the friendship and exploit the relationship to extremes. Parents of addicts can testify of the child's maneauvere tactics to get them at odds with each other in order to get his way, that is to achieve his desired high.
Keep personal interactions at a minimal and leave no avenue available for him to get a foot inside your personal zone and get comfortable because once this happens he will control you at will.
The crackie is a strategist and is always trying to keep ahead of his victims, so once he identifies the smallest loophole, he will take advantage of the situation at the victims painful expense.

Do Not Leave Him Alone in The House:
One sure way of coming home to an empty house is to leave a penniless gick monster (another name for crack addict) alone in the house. He can organize and remove even the flooring in a fraction that of tthe time taken by a removal contingent. Once he has access to the telephone (mobile or fixed) he will rally the troupe of bargain hunters who will come at immediate notice and take your life.

Cases have been documented of horrendous experiences of partners returning home to see bare floor: everything in cluding fixtures, gone except the flooring. Priceless family heirlooms have been pawned off for a miniscule fraction of its monetary value; decades of collectibles have been lost within mere seconds of nefarious negotiations; trust funds and future plans have disappeared in thin air to satisfy a craving or pay off debts incurred from gratifying the addiction

A word to the wise:
A Crack cocaine addict has an excessive psychological dependence on the drug consequently, breaking free requires more than medication: it calls for deep self discipline and self will along with the steadfast support of family or others.

Reduce Easy Access to Crack
Mobility is welcomed 'cofor the crack addct. Restricting him the use of your car puts a dent in his speed, and although is does not prevet him from accessing the drug, it surely reduces the number of his fixes per given period.
Giving access to your car is just as equal to pushing it over a cliff. So if you are not prepared to have your car returned as damaged goods, dont lend it to a crack head
Do not volunteer to take him anywhere. Once out of your site, he will use you to get to the drug. You will suffer the after effects of him using.

DONT BE FOOLED
Crack Cocaine addiction will have a powerfully debilitating effect on the user. Do not challenge its addictiveness, you will be sorry.

Not using crack is the best treatment for addiction and its effects.

How to Avoid Being the Victim of a Crack Addict | eHow.com

How to Avoid Being the Victim of a Crack Addict | eHow.com

Ugg Boots - 70% off Hot Sale

The Winter is here and so is the recession. What better time to make the best from a sale. .

For warmth and comfort during the cold, the family can snuggle up with a pair or two of Uggs Boots. It's hard to beat 70% off in a recession. My daughter and I have a pair of boots and a bag set, so should you.


For those with a more discriminating taste, the Sundance Ugg is the choice which comes in equally discerning colours, and matching handbags. For the more casual, or even sophisticated person the Classic Uggs is just for you with its wide variety of styles and cuts will work well for all occasions. But dont forget the babies. And for those who just have their exclusive sense of style, there are the Ultra and Bailey styles to suit your unique fashion. Simply put, there is something soft, warm and trendy for every woman or girl. Just ask us.

Vietnamese Sportsbook

Vietnamese Sportsbook Review – Www.Vietbet.com Vietnamese sportsbook, VietBet.com is a great football betting center , geared towards Asian players, but not restricted to. They offer many different kinds of wagering and bonuses. They are especially into soccer with the statement “If a soccer line is not at Viet Bet, you won’t find it anywhere”. Deposit nad Withdrawal Methods available at VietBet Viet Bet offers a variety of deposit and withdrawal methods, including Person to Person transfers. Other methods include Neteller, Moneybookers, Click2Pay, Sportsbook transfer, Wire Transfer, Gold-Pay, Credit card, Debit card, InstaDebit, and eWallet Express.

Losing Weight the Healthy Way

OVERVIEW
In the last dacade or more, world staticics have shown the world polulation is expanding not just in numbers but sadly in weight. Even out home pets are overweight. If you do not believe, just look around you to see the saturation of media ads that bumbard our every thoughts and the rapid growth of gyms, health clubs, health spas and health food stores that are around us. Other than sex, health and its related issues are second in consumption.

We all gain weight, that's a fact. By virtue of is being alive and carrying out our basic metabolic processes we gain weight. As the body grows it gains weight proportionately, once the appropriate food intake is done at a moderate rate. If the rate, quantity and quality of food intake is extreme, meaning less than (eg. anorexia) or more than (obesity) moderate, one's weight can lead to medical and social illhealth or even death.


WHAT IS WEIGHT?
Weight (w) is a quantity representing the force exerted on a particle or object by an acceleration field, particularly the gravitational field of the Earth at the surface. Weight can be healthy as well as harmful. Healthy weight compared to overweight or obese, is a body weight that is less likely to be linked with any weight-related health problems such as type 2 diabetes whereas unhealthy weight refers to the weight that has a negative effect on the body's metabolism rendering the person in a state of ill-health....



IS WEIGHT LOSS FOR ME?
The standard answer is that you're overweight if your body mass index (BMI) is 25 or higher and obese if your BMI (see follow-up blog for calculation) is 30 or higher. But some new research is confusing the weight-and-health issue a bit.

If your lifestyle consists of regular physical activity and healthy eating then you probably don't. If however you or close relatives have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or other weight-related ailment or if you have consistently gained weight over the years; if your BMI has increase dramatically, even as you age, or your BMI is in the high end of healthy or in the low overweight range; if you have gained weight above the hips ("apple shape"); if your waist circumference is over 40 inches in men and over 35 inches; if your cholesterol and blood pressure levels are high and your BMI falls into the overweight or obese category; or if you have joint problems due to your weight, shortness of breath, or other health troubles that limit your day-to-day living; and a clear indication if you need to lose weight is when you seriously and calculatedly decide to register with a weight loss program, you may need to lose weight. Consult your doctor.

WHY LOSE WEIGHT
Unhealthy weight can lead to obesity. An obese person is at greater health risks. These include:
Higher risk of death developing type 2 diabetes and arthritis(which rises with increasing weight even with a 10 to 20 overweight)
Major risk factor for circulatory diseases such as coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attack.
Overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk for some types of cancer including endometrial (cancer of the lining of the uterus), colon, gall bladder, prostate, kidney and postmenopausal breast cancer.
Women gaining more than 20 pounds from age 18 to midlife double their risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.
Sleep apnea (interrupted breathing while sleeping) .
Higher prevalence of asthma.
Social stigmatization, ridicule, alienation and other negative effects
Nobody wants to be unattractive

TYPES OF WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMMES
The last time I checked, there were a gozillion ways to lose weight. Be sure to check out the pros and cons before chosing one. There are Surgical and Non-surgical Methods for losing weight:

SURGICAL OPTIONS:
Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG). Surgical staples are used to divide the stomach into two parts. The upper part is small, which limits space for food. Food empties from the upper pouch into the lower pouch through a small opening. A band is put around this opening so it doesn’t stretch. Risks of Vertical banded gastroplasty include wearing away of the band and breakdown of the staple line. In a small number of cases, stomach juices may leak into the abdomen or infection or death from complications may occur.

Laparoscopic gastric banding (Lap-Band). An inflatable band is placed around the upper stomach to create a small pouch and narrow passage into the remainder of the stomach. This limits food consumption and creates an earlier feeling of fullness. Once the band is in place, it is inflated with saline. The band is adjusted over time by increasing or decreasing the amount of salt solution to change the size of the passage. The band is intended for severely obese people — those at least 100 pounds overweight or who are at least twice their ideal body weight — who have failed to lose weight by other methods such as a supervised diet and exercise. The band is intended to remain in place permanently, but it can be removed if necessary. People who get the band will need to diet and exercise in order to maintain their weight loss. Complications may include nausea and vomiting, heartburn, abdominal pain, band slippage, or pouch enlargement.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RGB). The surgeon makes the stomach smaller by using surgical staples to create a small stomach pouch. The pouch is attached to the middle part of a small intestine. Food bypasses the upper part of the small intestine and stomach and goes into the middle part of the small intestine through a small opening. Bypassing the stomach limits the amount of food a person can eat. By bypassing part of the intestine, the amount of calories and nutrients the body absorbs is reduced. The small opening slows down the rate food leaves the pouch. One risk for patients is "dumping syndrome." This happens when the stomach contents move too rapidly through the small intestine. Symptoms may include nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and diarrhea after eating. Side effects include infection, leaking, pulmonary embolism (sudden blockage in a lung artery), gallstones, and nutritional deficiency.

Biliopancreatic diversion (BPD). This procedure is not commonly used in the United States. A large part of the stomach is removed. The amount of food is restricted, in addition to stomach acid production. The small pouch that remains is connected directly to the final segment of the small intestine, completely bypassing other parts of the small intestine. A common channel remains in which bile and pancreatic digestive juices mix prior to entering the colon. Weight loss occurs since most of the calories and nutrients are routed into the colon where they are not absorbed. This procedure is less frequently used than other types of surgery because of the high risk for nutritional deficiencies. A variation of BPD includes a "duodenal switch," which leaves a larger portion of the stomach intact, including the pyloric valve that regulates the release of stomach contents into the small intestine. It also keeps a small part of the duodenum.

NON-SURGICAL METHODS
Non-surgical weight loss methods include such strategies as consuming fewer calories, increasing your physical activity level and knowing which foods and beverages are the most conducive to losing pounds. You also need to be aware of what foods will hinder your weight loss program so that you can avoid or limit them. By making these lifestyle alterations, not only will you be losing weight, but you will also be living a more fulfilling and healthy lifestyle.


Exercising. This simply means to burn calories. Be sure to eat fewer calories while you increase your exercise level. Depending upon your personal preference and physical ability, there are numerous exercises available to choose from. Walking is the most convenient form of exercise. Swimming provides an all-body workout that supplies cardiovascular benefits along with muscle strengthening. It does not cause any impact on your joints. Even cleaning your house can be a form of physical activity.

Natural Appetite Suppressants. Water Consumption. Drinking a glass of water 20 to 30 minutes before you eat can help you lose weight. Drinking unsweetened tea is also a good idea. Foods that are natural appetite suppressants will help you feel full and cause you to eat less. Some foods that will do this are fiber-rich foods like whole grains (oats, barley, kamut, whole wheat); legumes such as lentils and beans; some seeds and nuts( flaxseeds, almonds and walnuts); and fresh produce. Fresh vegetables and fruits are rich in nutrients and also provide your body with fiber. Fiber keeps the right amount of water in your intestines, making your digestive system work more efficiently and helping to keep you regular. Thus, just eating enough fiber may help you feel slimmer in just a day or so. There is also evidence that fiber in the diet can help prevent stroke and heart disease, ease the effects of diabetes, and may even directly help in weight loss.

Food Diet. Choose lean meats. Chicken and fish are both very low in fat (and certain fish like salmon, sardines, and fresh tuna are an excellent source of antioxidants, which are also beneficial to your health), so aim to replace some or all of the beef or pork in your diet with these foods.
Go over the list and decide which foods to cut out or reduce. Cutting calories is usually a lot easier than you might think. For example, that daily tall latte in the morning may pack 500 calories. Since a pound of flab (lost or gained) is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, replacing that rich beverage with black coffee can help you lose a pound a week. Other easy cuts include salad dressing (salad dressing is the number one source of fat in the average American woman's diet) soda pop, candy, and butter. Look at the nutritional information for the foods you eat, pay special attention to your intake of saturated fats and empty calories (high-sugar foods). You don't need to cut these things out entirely, but if you reduce your intake of high-fat such as deep-fried french fries, high-calorie foods you'll lose weight faster. Eat less sweets which includes chocolate, sodas,pasteries atc

Red Flag Foods. Foods and beverages that contain empty calories are both unhealthy and contribute to weight gain. They put up a red flag for weight loss. By simply eliminating, or limiting, them from your eating preferences, you will notice some weight loss. Sugary beverages like soda, fruit drinks and creamed drinks need to be controlled or eliminated. Substitute water or unsweetened tea for them. Deep-fried foods can also hinder weight loss. Whole fat dairy products (high in calories) can be substituted for low- or fat-free versions (lower in calories).

Portion Control. Usually, someone overweight has been eating portion sizes that are too large for their body size. Portion control involves measuring whatever you consume. But soon, you will be able to judge the portion amounts visually without measuring them.

See how easy it is to figure it out?
Have confidence! The results in weight loss heavily rests in your will to achieve it. Remember, if you can percieve it, you can definitely achieve it.

In Fitness and in Health Do Us Part...1

As with most people who have more than the normal leisure time on their hands, I have noticed a bit of bulge here and there on my once delightfully petite silhoette... I sat and wondered, if I, who boasts good genes and super active metabolism can be afflicted with this bit of unwanted accessory, can you imagine what the less than blessed ones amongst us experience daily? I don't want to imagine it. And its not just the extras and the suoer sizes that we pack on but moreso the unhealthy lifestyle that is associated with it. So, as of today, I have resolved to keep a healthy lifestyle by abiding by the basic laws of good health. A lifestyle unlike what you may think doesnt require aditional expenses such as any gym pass or registration, or acquisition of new equipment or any other stuff. All that is needed is the will and the time which all of us have on our hands, even the super busiest of us.

[I wont even go down the suggested pathway that good health is relative. Good can never be bad and health can never be unhealthy, and there're not two ways about this one. to prevent any of that being my reality and to help those who may be in similar position or morbidly worse, I will share a few of life's basic rules to being healthy and fit.]

Never before has the population been so unhealthy, and never before have we ever been so lazy (but that's a topic for future discussion), and never before have we been so caught up with matters that have more of a debilitating influence on or health and lifestyle. Lets put aside the world population and focus on a random 1000 people population, this change is all the world over. We have have swapped our physically active lifestyle to that of a sedentary one and call it advanced living. But isnt it ironic, the more of the future we advance the more of the past we become? Just think about it. 50 years ago an 80 year old woman would be living an active life which includes the management of a subsistent farm which she trekked miles to each day to reach, except for the Sabbath. How many 80 year olds we see nowadays much more active enough to operate a farm? Tell me? You may jump to argue that the quality of life has increased significantly with advanced technology resulting in the increaded mortality rate and new discoveries in treatments, cures, disease patterns atc, and I will not argue it. I accept. But my argument is, what quality of life is that 80 year old living when he is oblivious of where he is because he is too heavily sedated daily from the drugs he takes: one for his alzheimer's which developed from his cocktail of drugs he has been taking for the last 5 years, and then the drug he has to take to counter the side effects of the fiest then another one to counter that side effect, yet another one to counter the side effects ot the counter which was taken to counter the 2nd.... Just thinking of it makes my dizzy. So tell me, what is his quality of life? What quality of his life when he doesnt know that the shadows he sees moving around in his home every day are actually people and they are his family. Tell me where is the quality in that? Death must be better.

50 years ago, the use of pharmaceuticals like most of the modern day ills were not as prevalent or their assembly line as active, but I guess with exponential increase in the population, one has to find a way to make the convalescence period faster and lass painful. Who cares that the medication that is supposed to make us better is there to make us sicker and ensure a lifetime customer. But who cares. The placebo effect is better than the reality. But thats no excuse anyway. If people were adhering to the three basic tenets of health - proper diet, sufficient rest and relaxation, and exercise - the pharmacuetical manufacturers would not hold the #2 position of world's richest manufacturing industrues and medical doctors would not be in the top 5 of most lucrative professionals worldwide and most signifantly, the population would be a healthier, and better for the productivity sector and an improved social existence.

Don't you agree? Good, I knew you would. So let's look a bit at how this culptit advanced technology has compromised our healthy lifestyle.

LACK OF OR LITTLE PHYSICAL EXERCISE:
Because we sre soooo modern, we no longer walk. Just about everyone now has access to a private car or ready access to public transport. It doesnt matter if we are going less than 100 metres away, we drive, not walk. It's not cool any more to be walking (except of course if you donned the latest gym accessories and are found jogging). Just look at this example of this. I noted with amazement when a friend of mine who needed to replenish his popane gas cylinder so that his wife could complete cooking his Sunday dinner as he jumped in his vehicle and reversed approximately 28 metres to the outlet nextdoor to get the exchange. What was more disturbing wasnt that he sat in the car and have the attendant at his beck and call on and off-loading the cylibder, but when he returned, instead of taking out the tube, simply summonded his son to remove stuff that were laying in the yard in his pathway to drive to the back and have yet someone other than himself, unload the car. OMG! The irony with this is, he more than anyone else NEEDS all the exercise that is humanly available.

But then as he remarked, 'who needs to walk when you can drive, it's modern times and noone walks anymore'. How tragic!

POOR DIETARY PRACTICES:
Let's refer again to 50 years ago. Life was simple(ier). People mainly ate what they grew. Those produced were all natural. They were healthier. Nowadays, because we have gotten so busy with chasing the unattaimable we no longer have the time to grow a farm much more a vegetable garden, or even to eat properly. It is mainly snack on the go to fit in with the busy lifestyle or appearing to be hip in gulping down dast foods from the rapidly springing outlets. Sweets such as the unholy chocolate are in significance abundance, and the taste makes them quite irresistable to the palates.
A typical day for a profesional woman starts out with a cup of tea for breakfast, and snacking on sweets supplement for the lack of sufficient nutrients until luncheon which usually consists of take-out (which she assumes is what she ordered), which is eaten at her desk or in a crowded cafeteria room. Dinner for range from a stop at a restaurant/ fast food joint on the way home to actually having a well prepared home-cooked meal. Wow! Blame it on little time. I guess your day needs more than 24 hours.

50 years ago life was more structured. Breakfast consisted of a healthy balanced meal, which was more than not eaten at the table with other family members, whilelunch was in a lot of instances pulled from a lunch kit packed with a balanced home-cooked meal, or for the ones lucky enough to live within walking distance of the job site, simpled walked it home for one of the same. Dinner followed the same path of consistency and is usually had when all family members are in.

Remarkable! That is campared to conventional practice and for a woman who has a direct repulsion for the kitchen, I cant imagine a housewife cooking 3 full and balanced meals per day which sometimes consisted of 2 or more meat proteins. Whew!

But they kept healthier and the woman got enough exercise from being oh her feet praparing the meals as opposed to sitting for endless hours at the office desk, and not to mention the running around trying to keep the children in line, washing the clothes, lifting loads, and cleaning. No wonder thet kept such tight shapes


LACK OF REST:
Now you may think that this only means sleep. No way Jose! This goes beyond just sleep, it involves the time set aside within each 24 hour to recuperate. Other than the sleep which you normally do at the end of your regular day, you need to allocate separate time within the busy day to relax, take time to breathe, let go/ destress of the those nagging unresolved issues, smile, think positive thoughts, calm yourslf, slow down. You will find that once this is done, your health will improve as the body's mechanism will experience less stress in carrying out normal body functioning. A simple way of doing that are: don't worry; be less nosey; Min' yuh own bizness; Forget about matters that do not affest you directly or matters you have no (immediate) control over; think positive thoughts especially of people; and live within your means, which a lot of people fail miserably nowadays to do.
Just think how calmer, less irritable, less grumpy, less angry , less ugly, less wrinkled, less sooooo many many negatives that (we hold close to our chests) we would be if we had enough rest each day. And think how happier and productive we all would be as a result.

So how do I live healthier? Simple
Exercise, at least 30 minutes each day. Walk more, sit less. Do isometrics during your slow periods
Eat balanced diets. Eat more wholesome home-grown foods as much as you can. Avoid processed & refine foods. Cut out all that fast foods, sodas, sweets etc.
Sleep 6-8 hours per 24 hours. Listen to more stimulating calming sounds, softer music, lectures, communicate with nature and The Almighty etc to create greater relaxation

How about it? Will you resolve to be better as of now?

Talk if Yuh Talking

Female Reggae singer Cherine Anderson was invited as a guest judge in the High School Musical competition, “All Together Sing”. Apparently, no one advised Ms Anderson of appropriate mode of dress or of the line of judging that she would be expected play as the Skin to Skin star came and put on a performance that was the apposite of her signature authoritative style and showing much more skin than desired.

For starters, Ms Anderson was unsuitably dressed for a High School event. What was she thinking in an Altar top mini dress and fishnet stockings? Which stage was performing on? Then if you thought her mode of dress was off, her comments offered no consolation: her assessment comments were restricted to these 5 descriptions, nice, amazing, sounds good, sell-off and I like it, which was mainly lost in her incessant giggling and on-cue laughter. But that would be better to watch as she wears a very captivating smile than listen to her rather artificial comment in describing all the choirs as nice or good knowing fully well that some rival the scraping sound of metal against glass.

Conspicuously missing in her limited vocabulary were related words such as harmony, melody, tone, choreography, movement, presence etc. She spent each turn complementing the performers on their look and even called on the cameraman to zoom in on one of the performer’s glam shoes. OMG!
Surely, Ms Anderson has spent far too much time outside Jamaica in those euphemism-stroking countries. Surely she has forgotten we are an incredibly resilient people and we can take as much as we give, and God knows, we are known for our overt generousity. And definitely she has forgotten to remember that we ask for the truth, brutal honesty, if you please, in your judgement.

So Ms Cherine, the next time you are invited to come over (tonight), please ensure you are in the right place, equipped with the right skills and vocab and don’t forget, tasteful dressing for the occasion. Then, wouldn’t it be nice, if at the end of your stint we all leave in a better (Kingston) State of Mind than we are now and learn at least one music jargon or tip from you…? If you are Tuff Enuff, show it.

Let’s hear your views
React…. Reflect…. & Reciprocate….!

A Grumpy Smile Pehaps?

Recently an Australian anthropologist/ psychologist expert, Professor Joe Forgas, published his findings in the Australian Science magazine to support the hypothesis that Feeling grumpy 'is good for you'. Just taking the publication only on the value of the topic, one would be forced to accept that being a sour puss is better than a pleased pussy any day. No way José! … Or just maybe it is true…?

Well For as long as i can remember it has been said, ‚it takes twice the amount of muscles to frown than to smile’. Then, a hard muscular face was viewed as ugly while a soft chubby one a delight. Today we are led to aapreciate that the leaner and more defined you are the healihier you may be. So maybe thats what the goodly old professor was alluding to. But let’s not speculate. Let’s examine what his findings were.

According to the Forgas, people who are in a pleasant mood tend to be attentive, creative , flexible, cooperative and rely too much on their mental shortcuts; whereas their counterparts are forced to be more attentive, careful thinking; more organized and effective in communicating; better at decision-making; less gullible and attend to more details in the wider world. Even the weather (which we all knew) had similar effect on people: wet, dreary days sharpened memory, while bright sunny spells make people forgetful.

Aahhhh! I see. It is simple. The body is so intricately and purposefully made that everything the sensory receptors pick up is filed and interpreted resulting in the person’s response/ action. So when someone is in a happy mood, his receptors collect the stimuli and all are interpreted resulting in the corresponding happy mood of the individual. As a consequence, his defenses are lowered as the mood heightens. This usual comes with familiar territory such as being around family, loved ones or in a winning position. Instinctively, the body’s defense sends signals to the brain to relax the security measures a bit and allow the individual to enjoy the moment. That is why it is always easier to manipulate a tipsy drinker than a sober one. Got it now party animals?

The converse happens in the case of the grumpy person; all his defense levels are more acute and perked in the eventuality of an attack to the individual. The person by reason of his mood is less trusting of his environment and therefore takes super precautions to preserve life and property. This explains why people always exercise extreme caution when approaching a person in a foul mood.
The social longevity of the happy trooper is more guaranteed than that of the grouch. So, which do you prefer, guaranteed social butterfly status with a greater propensity for error or a scrooge with the defensive skills of an ultimate fighter?

Well everyone wants to be beautiful, if not all the time. Perhaps we could go the winners circle route and be a beautiful scrooge, someone who can wear a smile and a frown at the same time. Dont you think?

Now, let’s have your take
React…. Reflect…. & Reciprocate….!