Inside women's mind

Get a Sun-Kissed Glow in the Middle of Winter

2012-01-25T18:01:00.001Z

Did you know that we are fast-approaching one of the most depressing days of the year? That’s right; it even has the nickname “Blue Monday.” Blue Monday falls on the last Monday of January each year and experts say it’s depressing because the holiday season has gone and there isn’t much to look forward to besides more cold days. However, I’ve got some good news. Have you ever heard that phrase “fake it til you make it”? (Of course you have.) Well, we’re going to tell you how to fake a happy, sun-kissed glow in the middle of winter without damaging your skin.

Tanning beds have long been under fire for overexposing individuals to concentrated harmful rays. Laying out is also a no-go since most of the country is in a blanket of gray cloud cover. Tanning lotions might do the trick but they are loaded with chemicals that can seep into your skin and wreak havoc. So what are you to do?

Well, firstly, let me introduce you to the Dr. Hauschka Translucent Bronze Concentrate. This can be added to any moisturizer to give you a sun-kissed glow—wherever you want it. Since it’s Dr. Hauschka, you know that it is comprised of only the most natural ingredients like fruit oil and plant extract. It’s gentle and soothing and also gives you a healthy glow. For best results, exfoliate first.

Secondly, you can fake a bronze complexion with GloMinerals Bronze. This bronzer has antioxidants like vitamins A, C and E, and green tea extract. It also does not contain Talc, which is present in things like plastics and ceramics, because of questions raised about its link with disease and cancers.

Lastly, 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Powdered Blush will polish off your sun-kissed look without making your makeup looked cakey or thick. This blush is 100% natural, 100% vegan and also contains antioxidants. This means that these products will not only give you the healthy glow you want, but won’t disrupt your skin’s natural balance in the process.

A face lift without using scalpel

2011-11-17T18:00:00.007Z

Want to Look like You’ve had a Face Lift, but Without the Surgery?

These days more and more people are agreeing that it’s okay to do a little nip and tuck to assist nature in keeping us attractive as we age. And while face lifts are becoming more mainstream, did you know that there are some great – non-surgical – treatments to help eliminate unwanted lines and wrinkles?

All of the treatments I’ll be mentioning here do require medical expertise, meaning you will have

to go to a dermatologist, a certified aesthetician, or a cosmetic surgeon clinic. But knowing that you have these options will give you choices.

1. Dysport.

This treatment to eliminate and prevent lines has been widely used
around the world since 2001, although it has just recently been approved by the FDA for use in the U.S. It consists of a series of pain-free injections done over the course of 1-2 weeks. It is especially useful to treat crow’s feet, frown lines and forehead lines.

2. Botox.

One of the most popular treatments to eliminate lines and wrinkles, Boxtox has been medically used for decades. A purified protein is injected to reduce the overactivity of muscles, resulting in a relaxation that virtually eliminates wrinkles and lines. On average Botox treatments only need to be performed 3-4 times/year to maintain the line-free look.

3. Chemical Peels.

Unlike older, harsher peels, newer advanced peel treatments are gentle and safe for all skin types and are especially recommended for pigmented skin types. A peel actually exfoliates your skin, revealing younger and brighter skin underneath. It is a quick fix before parties, weddings, or a photoshoot, and is also used to treat mild acne, oily skin, and clogged pores.

4. Juvederm Dermal Filler.

An injectable smooth-consistency gel made of hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally occurring substance in your skin that increases volume, Juvederm is especially effective to instantly smooth facial wrinkles, plump lips, improve folds around the mouth and fill deep acne scars. Results are seen immediately and last around 12months.

5. Triniti.

Combining three laser technologies, Triniti works to address saggy skin, wrinkles, pigmentation, and baggy eyelids. Triniti, as the name implies, is really three laser treatments in one. Fotofacial RF, which gets rid of excess pigmentation, Refirme tightens the skin, and Matrix IR smooths the wrinkles.

This is what some of my own patients have to say about these procedures:

“The lines between my eyebrows and on my forehead are gone, and there is a lightness in my demeanor. I was told by many people that I look rested and rejuvenated.”

“I truly have found the Fountain of Youth! The burdens of the day are not as heavy. I am having FUN and truly enjoying life again! So yes, feeling good about my Outside invigorated my Inside. “

“Recently I was with a group and happened to mention my age. They were bowled over… they thought I was ten years younger than I am!”

So put yourself first, for a change. Consult with your personal physician, dermatologist or aesthetician to learn more about these and other non-invasive treatments to help you look your best.

Dr. Tess Mauricio, “America's Favorite Dermatologist,” is an author, renowned international speaker, physician educator and nationally known media personality. She is the Founder of Scripps Ranch Dermatology & Cosmetic center in San Diego and Dr. Tess Dermatology in La Jolla, California. Learn more online at http://www.scrippsderm.com.

Bigger breasts and being happy with your body without using scalpel

2011-11-07T15:41:00.001Z

Breast enhancement surgery is very popular nowadays. Girls, as young as 18, are getting bigger breasts for their birthday. Is it really necessary to have a surgery at such a young age? Most doctors will never tell you true about consequences of operation and that it is not just one off operation but you will need to keep repeating it.
Originally the breast enlargement operation was created for women who had their breasts deformed, who had to have their breasts removed for healthy reasons (because of cancer ex) and later for stars as part of their job was to look perfect. Although some stars decided not to go ahead with scalpel, some were happy to use Photoshop to show them in a better light and others were happy to show their real appearance.

Appropriate bra will give you bigger breasts

The bra which you need is a push-up bra which is similar to a normal bra. It differs from a usual bra by a thick layer of sponge, which is pushing your breasts and they appear to be bigger.

Many bras have special pockets, which are used to put silicon pillows (inserts) or just normal bra inserts, so your breasts will be bigger.

Remember to not to enlarge your breast too much as they won’t look natural at all. It is Ok to enlarge them by 1 or 2 cups.

Reasons for breasts enlargement

Most females feel insecure, vulnerable and they think that bigger breasts will change their life. It may add them a little bit more confidence but only in the beginning. I would suggest that monies would be better spend on a psychologist helping women to accept themselves, explain them that they should start building their self-esteem in their mind, not by trying to be seen in a better light by others. Men do not choose their life partners by checking their breasts size and eliminating the ones with small breasts. Maybe women who are looking for a sex partner may get more gays interested in having sex with them.

If a man will really like you, he will accept you how you are, with small breasts, big, maybe to big breasts, small bum or big bum.

Healthy weight loss

2011-10-08T11:00:00.002+01:00

Budgeting for Weight Loss

Recession is affecting a lot of people in many ways these days. Even so, you should keep in mind that these hard times don’t have to hold you back from your weight loss efforts. Weight loss is far more important than worrying about finances, especially when your health is at stake. But if you are still finding yourself frozen with the fear of spending money, consider the following tips on how to lose weight on a tight budget.

Don’t Waste Your Money on Miracle Pills or Supplements

Counting on expensive pills and diet supplements to do the trick is the last thing you should do when trying to lose weight, especially if you don’t have a lot of extra cash on hand. Never waste money on things that ultimately give you little or no long term results. Often flashy ads promising miraculous results are so powerfully compelling that they convince hundreds or even thousands of people surrender and throw their money away. This shouldn’t be the case, so don’t let yourself get lured in. Learn to control yourself, carefully question the validity of each pill you hear about, and never make purely impulsive purchases. Many weight loss methods that come with a hefty additional cost but remember that no amount of money will do for you what truly healthy weight loss methods can achieve. Be smart about your weight loss, recognize that real and lasting success does not happen overnight, and ignore the temptation to turn to pills in desperation.

Don’t Fall for Fad Diets

Fad diets and commercially manufactured weight loss plans are very expensive and often ineffective. You should automatically cross them off of your list unless of course you’re lucky enough to have a large amount of money to spare for every meal! If you’re low on funds like most readers of this article, the best way to save money while dieting is to actually prepare your food yourself. You don’t have to be an extraordinary cook or even have a lot of free time on your hands in order to cook your own deliciously nutritious meals. Just grab a healthy recipe off the net and follow the step by step instructions. If you’re still afraid your cooking skills are not up to par, try out a few recipes with the help of your partner or a friend and enjoy working together. There are literally thousands of great recipes available for free. If you’re not quite sure where to start looking, try researching a list of diet friendly Mediterranean dishes.

Ditch the Gym Membership

Why spend money on something that you probably won’t even use to its full potential? Most people start out thinking that they have all the time and motivation in the world and quickly find that they’ve overestimated, especially when it comes to making it to the gym on a regular basis. In fact, many gyms base their pricing off of idea that a large number of the members they enroll will use their facilities very infrequently. There’s nothing wrong with going to the gym if you will really keep up with it, but there are many cheaper and more enjoyable ways for you to get the exercise your body needs. Promote your weight loss goals by getting involved in your favorite sports, going running, or even checking out some home exercise tapes from your local library.

Just remember - the majority of money that you think you need to spend to effectively lose weight is in fact entirely unnecessary. So ignore the latest and greatest fitness ads and get back to the basics. Healthy weight loss is within your power and your budget!

Guest post by Alex. Alex writes about how to lose weight. His latest post talks about easy ways how to lose weight in 2 weeks. All his posts are based on natural and healthy ways to lose weight.

How Super Foods can help improve your relationships…Eat Up!

2011-09-30T20:42:00.003+01:00

We all know that eating healthy is good for us. But, did you know that eating certain super foods can actually enhance your relationships? Well they can! Here’s how.

Help You to Stay Calm and on an Even Keel

Being snappy and irritable can make you incredibly unpleasant to be around, and can ruin your relationships with your family and friends and most especially, your significant other. Although being impatient with others can be a part of your personality, it can also be caused by certain nutrient deficiencies.

Foods that are high in B vitamins and vitamins A, C, E and the mineral magnesium can help to calm your nerves and keep you calmer. They can even help prevent or lessen anxiety attacks.

Make You Look Better

Eating healthier will improve your physical appearance as well. When you look good, you are more confident and more secure, so you are better able to concentrate on others needs instead of always worrying about yourself. Your significant other will also greatly appreciate you looking your best, which is why taking good care of your body is important in any marriage or relationship.

Super foods like apricots, salmon and blueberries are loaded with antioxidants that can help your body fight signs of aging and also ward off many types of disease. The anti-inflamatory properties of many of these super foods can also help to prevent inflammation, which can be a big factor in the development of cancers and other diseases.

Help You to Perform Better

When your body is healthy, it is in the best condition to complete the tasks it needs to do everyday. You’ll have more energy to do the things you love and spend time with the people that you love. Sex will also be amazingly better if you are eating healthier. We don’t really realize it so much, but when we eat unhealthy foods, our bodies start to slow down and we get tired fast and don’t have much energy. This can make sex a chore and it can be boring because you don’t really have enough energy to put in the effort.

But, when you start eating healthy, you will feel more virile and your energy levels will sky rocket. You will be able to enjoy making love to your partner, and not feel winded and like giving up after the first few minutes.

As you can see, adding super foods to your diet can bring you many benefits. You will look better, feel better and interact better with those around you.

Stacey Cavalari holds a B.A in Literature and currently writes for Phoenix Kiosk, a U.S. Kiosk manufacturer that specializes in retail, education and healthcare kiosks. Visit Phoenix Kiosk to learn how a Kiosk can be a great asset and ROI to your organization.

Pregnant vegetarian – what do you need to know?

2011-09-23T21:42:00.001+01:00

Are you a vegetarian expecting a baby? First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! Eating a meat-free diet is much more accepted now than it was a few decades back, but there are still plenty of people who will get on your case about being a vegetarian during pregnancy. Are your doctor, relatives, or friends concerned that being a vegetarian will negatively impact your unborn baby? Or do you, yourself, wonder whether pregnant vegetarians can meet all the nutritional needs of their growing fetus?

Many vegetarians eat extremely healthy diets, and are much more conscious about what they eat than the average omnivore. Pregnancy and being a vegetarian can combine very well – something I know from personal experience with my two pregnancies, and something my mother can also talk about. That's right: My children are third-generation vegetarians. My mother's doctor predicted that pregnant vegetarians can give birth to healthy babies, but he warned her that her child might be infertile due to her meatless diet. The doctor was wrong, and there is no scientific basis for views like that. But there are some things that pregnant vegetarians need to take additional care of. What are they?

Many newer vegetarians report craving meat as part of their pregnancy signs and symptoms. It is up to individuals to decide whether or not to give into these cravings. Some veggies opt to eat certain meat or fish meals while they are expecting a baby, and sometimes while nursing.
Pregnant vegetarians are at a higher risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia. Leafy green vegetables like spinach, beets, kelp, egg yolks and beans (including soy beans) are especially rich in iron. As long as you eat plenty of these, you should be fine.
Calcium is essential for your baby's bone and organ development. Milk and dairy products are well-known sources of this mineral, but you can also find calcium in broccoli, sesame seeds, parsley and other vegetable sources. Calcium also promotes the absorption of vitamin D, which is best assimilated through sun light but can also be found in certain food sources.
Veggie moms to-be who eat plenty of beans, nuts, eggs, and tofu can rest assured that they are meeting their recommended intake of proteins (60 grams daily for pregnant women). If you don't eat enough protein, boost your intake through a combination of these sources.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is something else vegetarians need to watch out for during pregnancy. If you are concerned, the best approach is having your blood tested. You may look into a supplement, or consider taking cod liver oil if you are not ideologically opposed to that.
Many women are worried about how to achieve weight loss after pregnancy . As a vegetarian, it is easier to maintain a good diet without too many saturated fats. Staying away from fast foods is always a good idea, whether you are an omnivore or a vegetarian.

Olivia is a vegetarian mother of two. She writes about fertility, pregnancy and babies at her blog, Trying To Conceive.

Dating a Diabetic

2011-09-16T20:52:00.001+01:00

You are a single dad and are now preparing for a life again in the dating scene. When you go out to the wild side again, do be prepared for a very different landscape from the last time you were out on a date. Amongst the many changes would be the conditions of the women out in the world.

According to the most recent American Diabetes Association, nearly one of every ten single Americans would become a diabetic in the next few years of their life. A greater percentage of them would be single women. This statistic alone should help you prepare for what lies ahead, eventually dating a single diabetic woman. This is not something you should avoid but something your should embrace and accept as part of the new world before you.

Diabetes is a metabolic condition where the body is either unable to produce and/or properly metabolize the hormone insulin. This hormone is important for the proper functioning of cells as the hormone helps process blood sugar for cellular processes. These cellular processes include regeneration and proper functioning of the body’s organs. Thus when you encounter a diabetic on a date, here are the following tips you need to know in order to get a chance at another date and hopefully a long term relationship.

Get to Know the Diabetic. Often, diabetics openly discuss their condition. Show an earnest interest in their condition. Find out what kind of diabetes they have and ask about how they manage the condition. This not only shows a genuine interest in them but also give you ideas on how to help the person in the long term.

What to Avoid. Avoid having food that would indicate that you are better off compared to them. Don’t ever say “can you eat this” or “I am sorry, I know you can’t have this but I would be having this anyway.” Never ever make fun of the diabetic. This would only hurt their feelings and surely lower your possible return engagement. Making a count of what you eat would help in making a good impression for your future date.

Don’t Panic. If ever a blood sugar low occurs during your date, avoid panicking. Place your date in a comfortable position. Check their bag if they have an insulin pen or other medication to help them recover. Then, call 911 in order to have proper medical attention for your date. It may put a damper on your date but it would be plus points for you for the care and attention.

Having a date with a diabetic is not all that bad. There are many restaurants that cater to diabetic patrons nowadays. Aside from having a new dining experience, you would be surprised as to the variety as well as the flavor that diabetics enjoy as part of their healthy cuisine. You may even end up being hooked on having a healthier and better dietary lifestyle for you. So with a diabetic date, you not only end up getting the love of your life but also having a healthier lifestyle in the long run.

For a more comprehensive discussion on purchasing property, do visit us at The Biological Clock and Diabetes.

Please visit the author’s site: The Diabetes Forum

Sex After Baby: How to Re-Warm the Sheets After a Brief (or Lengthy) Cool-Down

2011-09-09T21:11:00.005+01:00

Having sex after having a baby can be problematic even for the most regularly active couples. First of all, sex is out of the question for a minimum two weeks after birth, and at least six weeks is what most doctors recommend. However, even after six weeks, there could be factors that hinder couples from reuniting in the bedroom. The new little member of the family is usually the prime culprit. In the first month or two after the baby is born, he or she will probably wake up every two hours, at least. This can make it hard for mom and dad to find time to be alone.

There are also physical factors that could get in the way. If you have had an episiotomy or tearing, you will likely be tender for a while. Some women heal pretty fast, but others take a while.
Hormones are also working against you. Your body is “coming down” from being pregnant, so your estrogen levels are dropping. Your hormones my even have an effect on your man! You may pass these scent hormones
(pheromones) to your husband. This is why many men have a drop in libido (it could also just be sheer exhaustion at this point as well…) and a lot of guys report feeling a-sexual after their partner gives birth.

Then there is the psychological side of things. New moms almost always feel un-sexy. Their body has changed and it will take a while for everything to return back to normal. Dads may also be a bit scared about sex if they witnessed the birth.

This is why it is so important to wait until you are ready to have sex again. Giving your body time to recover and getting used to the new baby will allow you to have a good “first” experience, so that you can get back to letting things flow the way they normally would.

Here are a few tips that you can use to help bring the romance back after baby:

- Be confident. Think sexy and you will BE sexy.

- Communicate with your partner. Things have changed a bit down there so it is important to let him know what feels good and what doesn’t

- Use a water based lubricant. Hormone changes can suppress your natural lubrication, so using a little lube can help things be more enjoyable (and less painful) for the both of you.

- Schedule your time. This may seem unromantic, but when you have a baby that wakes up every couple of hours, it pays to agree on a set rendezvous time so that you can have it uninterrupted.

- Have a sense of humor. Be relaxed and have fun. At some point things are going to go wrong, the baby is going to wake up etc. Just laugh it off and try again another time.

- If you are nursing, it is a good idea to feed the baby or pump your milk before sex. This prevents an unwanted leakage, which is actually quite common.

Whatever you do, don’t take things too seriously. Yes, it can be frustrating. But, remember that it is only a phase and when your child starts sleeping longer at night, and your body gets back to normal, things will return to how they were before. Meanwhile, make sure that you give each other lots of affection. Cuddling and kissing are good ways to keep the fires burning even when you have to slow things down a bit in the bedroom.

Stacey Cavalari holds a B.A in Literature and currently writes for Phoenix Kiosk, a kiosk manufacturer. She covers everything from blood pressure kiosks to technology and education. Phoenix Kiosk: Innovative Technologies from Vision to Reality.

10 top foods which will help you lose weight without dieting

2011-08-29T15:39:00.004+01:00

Losing weight may come easily for some and hardly for others. The secret lies in choosing the right tasty food which will make you feel satiated for longer and provide you with healthy nutrients.

Getting slimmer is not just about reducing your food intake and cutting food out of your diet. It is rather about changing your lifestyle, the kind of food which you are eating. Not many people can stand being on a diet and sooner or later start eating normal portions and come back to their previous weight or becoming even heavier – this is the common yo-yo effect. If you do not want to be one of those women experiencing the yo-yo effect, read this article till the end and find out the secret of slim women who do not have to worry all the time about weight loss.

Food swaps

Lentils, split peas, beans, peas, chick peas are very healthy food swaps and also a cheaper alternative compared to meat and poultry.

Lentils, split peas and beans

Swap your meaty steak or a stew for a meal with lentils, split peas or beans. They are full of proteins,

filling like meat but low in calories compared with a meat substitute. If you want to make them an extra light meal, do not add any fat while cooking them; just add water, chopped or natural tomatoes and your chosen spices. You will feel full for a long time without high calories and saturated fat intake. Do not give up on them if after eating them for first time, you won’t like them; just try different spices next time. Many people do not like them at first time but later on they become their favourite meals.
Properly cooked lentils should look like mushy peas. You can cook them with spices like garlic, paprika, pepper, salt, bay leaves, vegetable stock and whatever else you think you will like. You can also add a little bit of a tomato puree or chopped tomatoes at the beginning of the cooking process. Lentils are great for digestion and healthy cell growth.
You can choose between red, brown or green lentils, butter, kidney, black, butter or brown beans and many others, whatever you will find the tastiest.

Peas

Although peas are just vegetables, they are full in fibre, minerals, Vitamin K and C. They contain about 5% of proteins, so it is best to combine them with lentils, brown rice, chick peas or a lean steak to offer your body all essential amino acids.
Chick peas

People are confusing them very often with peas and think that they are just a slightly different kind of peas. Chick peas, unlike green peas, are high in proteins, low in fat and can be a good addition to a healthy diet. They contain about 25% of proteins.
Brown rice, brown bread
Both of them are wholegrain products, which are rich in minerals. They are high-fibre food which gives a low score on the glycaemic index compared to their white counterparts.
Again, they are incomplete proteins (contain about 2.5% of proteins) so it is best to combine them with other food like lentils, peas and etc to offer your body all essential amino acids.

Oats

They contain about 5% of proteins and are rich in betaglucans, which reduce bad cholesterol levels. They are rich in Vitamin B, Selenium and Manganese. Oats have a low score on the glycaemic index and help you to feel satiated for longer.

Celery

It is quite common knowledge that eating some vegetables in any amount won’t make us put on weight. By eating celery, you can actually end up burning more calories by digesting it than your body will get by consuming it; do not worry your body will still get vitamins and minerals from it. Again like lentils celery contains fibre (boosts your metabolism) and foliate ( it is essential for producing new cells in your body).

Dark chocolate

Although dark chocolate is not a low-calorie food, it fulfils your sweet tooth appetite after eating a few grams of it without the need to eat the whole chocolate.

There are two major reasons why it is a healthy food leading to long term weight loss:

It contains a high number of antioxidants;
You will never be able to eat it in large quantities as you can with milk chocolate or other sweets.

So use dark chocolate to curb your cravings for sweets with just a few pieces.

5 questions to ask when you hunt for a husband

2011-07-16T17:04:00.002+01:00

You may feel that you get on well with your partner, that you have the same interests, going out is such fun, you understand each other without words and he does not mind that you have a different religion. It seems that he accepts you how you are without asking to change anything… It is normal to see through pink glasses in the beginning of a relationship, but it is a must to ask questions to find out your partner’s plans, purpose in life and lifestyle if you want to be successful in a hunt for a husband.

Tying the knot

Does he want to get married? Does he consider you as his future wife? Well done if both of you would like to get married. Otherwise you need to find out if he would like you to be his future wife or he treats you as his temporary entertainment. The earlier you will find out the better. It is quite a serious question to ask but it
saves you a lot of time and disappointment. You should always find out his matrimonial plans within a few dates.

Saving money

You may not even have to ask him this question if he likes saving money. Just observe how he spends: if he buys expensive
branded clothes, eats out very often, spends a fortune on drinks in a pub. Ask him questions like: what would you do with money if you won the lottery? Would you go on an expensive trip or save it for a deposit to buy a house? This will help you to understand how he spends money and also find out his priorities in life.

Is he family-orientated?

It is very important that you agree about having a family or not having a family, otherwise your relationship may suffer if your thoughts are different.

He may love you a lot, but if he does not want to have children there is no point to force him to do so, as he would not be happy with it, may walk away or you will have to deal with all responsibilities for having children; you may end up being a single mother. If you do not want to have children and he wants it, it is better to discuss with him how important this is for him.

When would you like to have children?

If both of you would like to have children good for you, first step passed. You should also discuss when you would like to have children. Nowadays when women are working as well, it may be sometimes difficult for them to balance these two important life issues. You may want to delay motherhood or even eliminate it if your work commitments won’t let you to have a baby any time soon, if not at all. Discuss it with your partner and make sure that he understands the consequences of balancing your life and he is happy to be with you with or without children.

Sharing bills and home duties

You should find out if he is happy to share home duties with you or if both of you are happy if one of you will be staying at home or working part-time and doing most of the home duties. You should not follow the old-age belief that you are a woman so you know better how to clean, cook, shop, etc, if both of you are working full time. It would mean that you would be the only one having duties after work.

If both of you would work and have a small baby, both of you should get up at night, not only you because you are breastfeeding e.g. ; You can buy a breast pump, so only one of you will need to get up to the baby.

If you decide that one of you will be staying at home, discuss if your partner will support you financially even if it would be till the end of her/his life, if you would struggle to get an appropriate job after a long career break.

Lose weight without a difficult diet

2011-05-25T19:25:00.001+01:00

The first thing which you should do is to swap your favourite meals, snacks, drinks for healthier options.

Empty calories

Not many people realize that drinks also have calories which we should count while being on diet, in fact also when not being on diet, so we won’t put on weight.

One bottle of wine has 550 calories, 1 pint of lager has 230 calories and 1 shot of vodka contains 55 calories. Calories from alcohol are empty, without any nutritional value or satiety feeling. It is also well known that drinking alcohol makes you feel hungrier. Drinking alcohol also reduces the amount of fat your body burns for energy. It flushes away vitamins and minerals from your organism. Alcohol is treated as a foreign unwanted substance by your body. Your immune want to get rid of it as quickly as possible, which causes it to interrupt other processes (burning fat and absorbing nutrients processes are slowed down).

Drinking juices, fizzy drinks etc can also lead you to put on weight.
Drinks do not make you feel full; they only quench your thirst. Your body does not recognize it as a source of calories and energy, there are no signals sent to your brain about being fuller and less hungry after drinking them. Therefore if you do not want to put on a few extra pounds consider drinking fizzy drinks in moderation or best swap for plain water.

Food equivalents:

Pint of lager = medium slice of pizza, 50g of cookies or chocolate

Glass of wine = 1 banana, 25 g of chocolate

Bottle of wine = 1 chocolate, 100g of cookies

Will you eat every day chocolates or cookies?

Snacks

If you want to eat a snack, get a fruit instead of a muesli bar or so called low-calories chips. Chocolate bars, chips, fruit bars are quite common among all snacks. Have you ever considered eating an apple, an orange, a carrot or a cucumber as a snack? They are a much healthier option as they are not chemically processed and are a source of fibre which helps to speed up metabolism. They also have fewer calories.

Meat versus pulses

The modern word created food available more easily. Previously people could not eat as much meat as they wanted. Eating too much red meat causes a higher risk of getting a bowel cancer and having higher cholesterol. It is important to provide our body with proteins, vitamins and minerals. Pulses like lentils, beans etc are also a good source of proteins, vitamins and minerals and help to lower the risk of getting bowel cancer and heart attack.

Eating eggs helps having healthy lifestyle and losing weight

2011-05-04T20:48:00.003+01:00

Previously eggs were recognized to have high cholesterol and be fatty food. Egg composition changed as hens are not fed anymore with bones but with seeds. Eggs are recommended as a part of a healthy balanced diet.

High protein diet, by eating eggs

Eggs are low in calories, full of vitamins and minerals such as essential amino acids which can be obtained only from food which you are eating.

They keep you full for a long time as they are free of carbohydrates and contain a rich source of protein. Each egg has about 8g of protein and only 90 calories.

Real ingredients of eggs
Eggs were thought to be high in fat, especially the type causing a high level of cholesterol in our blood. The truth is that an average egg contains 6g of fat and 1.5g of this is saturated fat responsible for heart diseases and strokes. Egg is much healthier than
many other products like cheese spread, ham or red meat. It is a natural product consumed in an unpreocessed form, which is why it is healthy.

Cholesterol
If you have high cholesterol you should cut down on products containing saturated fats like sausages; even those looking lean will not have a lot of fat. Lard, cakes, biscuits, creams, fatty meats, butter and generally ready made meals should be cut down, not eggs. Eggs do not have anything common with high cholesterol really.

Eggs are also recommended before and during pregnancy

Eating eggs during and before pregnancy is highly recommended as you will provide your baby with natural ingredients and plenty of necessary vitamins for its development. During pregnancy your demand for vitamins and minerals is higher, that is why it would be good to eat more of eggs. They contain high amounts of vitamin D, B2, B12, B6, magnesium and choline.

Vitamin D is necessary for healthy bones, teeth and helps absorb calcium. Even though our body can get vitamin D by itself, during the winter period we suffer from a lack of vitamin D and eggs are one of the few products which contain it. Lack of vitamin D
can cause osteoporosis and sclerosis.

Vitamins B12 and B6 help to absorb magnesium which is necessary for the proper functioning of our nervous system. Lack of magnesium can cause depression and a higher risk of postnatal depression. It is also needed for the production of red blood cells, whose lack is responsible for anemia.

Vitamin B2 helps body to absorb iron. A lack of iron can cause feeling tired, sleepy and having a lack of energy.

Choline helps to absorb folic acid, which is necessary for the healthy growth of the baby in the womb and a lack of it can cause birth defects. It is also important for a healthy brain function.

Losing weight without being on diet

2011-03-28T20:07:00.003+01:00

Eating healthy food will make you lose weight

You may wonder why you are on a constant diet and instead of losing weight you keep putting it on. You should look carefully at the food you are eating. Maybe you think that you eat just a little fatty food like chips and hamburgers, but you may be eating more. Make a diary for 1 or 2 weeks in which you will record everything you eat each day and then read it and reconsider if you are really eating healthily and if you are on a diet.

Bad side effects of being on diet

Many people just soon after finishing their diet and reaching their desired weight go back to eating “normally” and then end up facing the yo-yo effect. To be able to keep your weight after dieting you cannot come back to your previous lifestyle, which means that usually you would need to keep being on a diet for your whole life.

Get good eating habits

If you have a problem with eating too many sweets, chocolates and cakes start taking chrome which will help you to minimize your craving for those products. Eat more fruits, get in a habit of eating an apple, orange or another fruit
for desert or when you feel hungry rather than a chocolate bar or other snacks full of sugar or fat.

Eat as little food as possible high in carbohydrates

Chocolate bars, cakes, all sorts of biscuits can make you feel full only for a short time as they have carbohydrates that break down rapidly and soon after eating them you will feel even more hungry.

Eat food which will keep you fuller for longer

Food like meat, potatoes, rice, groats,
oats, eggs, beans, lentils, white cheese ( for example cottage cheese) have carbohydrates that break down slowly, so you are eating less calories and what is the most important you are eating food full of vitamins.

Eat home-made food rather than ready-made meals from supermarkets

Meals bought in supermarkets are usually full of fat, salt and conservatives. Manufacturers want to earn as much as possible so there is as little meat as possible in a chicken pie for example or you can find out that apple pies or cheesecakes have some flour in their filling too. Preparing your meals yourself will help you to control what ingredients are in your meal, being aware of all ingredients and also save your money as it is cheaper to prepare a meal yourself.

Pregnancy and after pregnancy

2011-03-05T20:54:00.003Z

A newborn baby

It is very important to take care properly of a new born and making sure that a baby is not hungry, ill and it is just simply happy. For the minimum of 3 months we should give our baby milk breast. Breast milk has all vitamins which the baby needs and antibodies which are helping our new born building its immune system. Breast fed babies are much more resistant to many diseases as they are resistant to every ill which their mother had in the past, especially during pregnancy and breast feeding. Mother should make sure that she is eating the right food otherwise the baby can suffer from stomach ache.

What about a new mother?

Although society puts only pressure about well-being of a new born, mother's well-being is also very important. It is quite common to suffer from postnatal depression due to the sleep deprivation, hormonal changes, too many responsibilities , not accepting a body after pregnancy and thinking that now everything should be only about a baby.

It is very important that new mothers will think about themselves and their needs. They should try to share their new responsibilities with partners. New mothers should still care about their appearance. Obviously everything takes time, so if you gain a lot of weight do not expect that you will lose it within a few months.

A happy mother = a happy baby

Toddlers feel our anxiety. The only way to be happy is to fulfill our needs also.
Not thinking about baby’s needs as first does not mean that you are bad mother. Going to the hairdresser, seeing a friend, buying new clothes not only for a baby should be normal things for you otherwise you won’t be able to give your baby so important happiness and love.

Do not be greedy; leave your child with grandparents or a nanny

A baby needs constant attention. There is not much time left which you can spend only with your partner. You feel tired and the only time which you can spend with your partner is in bed when you are falling asleep immediately. Most mothers think that they should be the only ones who will take care of baby as they will take care of it best and a baby after getting used to spending time only with mother is not happy to spend time with any other person. Be a little bit egoistic, go with your partner to the cinema, for a walk or simply watch a movie at home just with your partner. You won’t harm your baby in this way, you will actually help it to not to be scared of people and being less shy.

Babies are getting used to very quickly to be surrounded only by one person. After that they are not happy being left with anybody else. For your and your child’s healthy relations you should learn it that a grandmother or a nanny are also nice people. In this way it will get used to faster going to a kinder garden or school.

Pregnancy stretch marks

2011-02-07T20:49:00.002Z

Stretch marks are a nightmare for many women and cream manufacturers interested in expanding their market seek to address this issue. Unfortunately the truth is that while those creams can help us with reducing stretch marks or making them less visible, they cannot guarantee us that the marks won’t appear again.Getting stretch marks depends from our type of skin, which means that some women can have no stretch marks, even if they did not use any special creams during their pregnancy; some women can have plenty of stretch marks even if they were looking after their body carefully and in addition used a few of supplements to avoid having stretch marks. Although it is not always possible to avoid stretch marks, we can still reduce their visibility.

Start moisturizing your skin before pregnancy

Well-hydrated skin is more resistant, flexible and will get fewer stretch marks. Those which will appear will not be very visiblle so you won’t be that concerned about them.

Right diet

Right diet is also very important for your skin.
You should eat healthy for your skin and for your baby also. Drink water, avoid fizzy drinks. If you want your tea to be sweet use natural sugar. Make sure that yoghurts and any other products which may contain sugar have natural sugar instead of sweeteners which are very artificial and can harm your baby and make your skin less hydrated.

Creams for pregnant women

There are plenty of creams for stretch marks, you should get them too. Make sure that the cream which you are going to purchase is not only for stretch marks but also for pregnant women. Some creams contain ingredients which are not recommended for pregnant women as they could harm their babies.

Unable to get rid of stretch marks

There is not much you can do about stretch marks. If you already have them and found that it is very difficult or even not possible to get rid of them you need to use a different tactic. Firstly you should accept yourself with stretch marks and give yourself more time. There are plenty of creams for stretch marks, so if one cream did not work for you, you should try another and another one. Remember that those creams won’t make your stretch marks disappear. They will only make them less visible. Later, if you are finding that stretch marks limit your life in some way and you are unable to accept them, if you can afford it financially, you can consider plastic surgery.

How to get a mortgage?

2011-01-28T17:44:00.002Z

Mortgage tips

Good credit rating

A very important thing which counts a lot when we are applying for a mortgage is a credit rating. Sometimes you might fail a credit chaeck simply because you have no credit history, not because you have a bad credit history. Lenders want to see that you will pay back money you borrow and if you have no such history in the past, they have no way of knowing. To get started with building a good credit history, the easiest way is to get a credit card. Once you will have a credit card you should use it from time to time. Just make sure you pay it back on time every month or else your credit history will backfire on you.

Paying your bills on time

Even if you are not planning to get any mortgage now and think that not paying a bill on time and paying it later won’t hurt you, you are wrong.This is how people get a bad credit rating.

Register at electoral register

Lenders are very often checking if you are on the electoral register so even if you are not interested in voting it would be a good idea for you to register.

Do not have any unnecessary loans

Lenders are usually asking if you owe any money and it can lower your ability of borrowing the amount which you want. This is because if you have already borrowed a lot of money, you will have difficulty paying back any additional loans. You should best clear all your debts before applying for a mortgage.

Share equity

This is a really good bargain for first-time buyers who do not have enough deposit. Nowadays banks are asking for at least 15% deposit which is £15k for a £100k house. If you would buy a house from a building society, they have plenty of good deals. Many of them offer to lend you up to 25% of money for 10 years free of interest which also lets you pay a smaller deposit which can be even 5%.

Invest in a new house

New houses have 10 years warranty on them which means that for 10 years you are not the one paying for any repairs. The other advantage of buying a new house is that it is built to the latest strict building regulations which means that you will pay less for heating and you won’t find any funny things like uneven floor, crumbling foundations and outdated boiler if you would get an old house.

Deposit and mortgage deals

If you know that in one or two years you will be able to save much more money it is sometimes worth to wait this period to get a better deal and have less money to repay. When you have 5% of deposit you have access only to certain mortgage deals, while when you have 15% and more of deposit you have access to a wider range of better deals.

Additionally, some building societies or banks can offer you a mortgage even if you do not have any deposit if your family can place assets like their home as guarantee.

Look around

Do not only go to one place and stop there because they will be happy to give you a mortgage. You should check the mortgage deals in your own bank, with brokers as they can have access to deals not available for the public and finally check in companies specializing in giving mortgages. Compare all deals and decide what would be best for you.

Fixed or variable rates?

Everything depends, that is why you should compare them and find out what best suits you!

Remortgaging

You got already a mortgage, you bought already a house and this is it? No, very often it is worth to remortgage the house as you can get better deal. Most of mortgage lenders will charge you a fee for remortgaging but it is still worth to go ahead.

Keep looking for better deals and if they become available you can switch to them!

Tax savings

It is only a possibility but you should check it for yourself. Owning a property, having a mortgage – these are areas where you should find out if you can save any money on tax, especially if you are not British, resident or domicile.

Changes to husband and wife's roles

2011-01-11T16:49:00.006Z

Men need to feel that they are the head of the family and care for their wife and children. Currently we are changing the traditional family model for a modern one which is not good for anybody.
Many women are putting their jobs before their family as they feel that they should be breadwinners also. Many women do not want to have children at all as they value more their freedom, social life and independence or even if they wish to be mothers, they know that they are unable to reconcile a full-time job with having a baby.

Putting a job before a baby does not really mean that women are choosing their career. It means that they are conscious of their choices. They know that work will be an important part of their life and they understand that they have to concentrate on a job first in order to be satisfied and not do a bottom job later on.

Single mothers
Women do not need a man anymore to have a baby. It is very popular among British women to have a one night-stand to get a baby or to have artificial insemination.
There are also plenty of women who do not want to have children at all as they are very independent and having a baby could make them being unable to fend for themselves, getting fat and loosing a good job position.
Many decent men are running away from a relationship with a bossy woman as they feel ignored and excluded from that relationship. They do not feel needed anymore and feel abandoned due to the lack of any decision-making and fulfillment in their life.

Asian woman’s world

2010-12-27T11:54:00.004Z

Asian woman's eligibilities
There are plenty of stories of how Asian women should be and what their responsibilities are. Most Asian women are Muslim which means that there are many rules which they need to comply with. Some people are saying how good their tradition is as it lets a woman stay at home and a man is the only one who should take care of her and the children. It is slightly different for those women in the UK as they have more eligibilities than in their own mother country. I saw myself quite a few Pakistani or Indian women at work, some of them were dressed in their traditional clothes, some like any other British person.

Strict family
If an Asian woman has a strict family and a husband, then they are told what to do, what not to do and they have to follow those strict rules.
Asian men’s role is not only to provide a family, a wife with everything. They have big powers as they are the ones who are dictating women how to dress, what to do, what not to do, whereas their wives are not independent at all and their quality of life depends on their husband's will. They can be treated like queens but also like slaves who should do everything that the husband will say and they can be also killed if a man will decide that he wants his wife to been tortured or dead.

Arranged marriages
It is well known that Muslim people have arranged marriages; therefore women are not always happy to marry a man whom they do not love and do not know at all. Although some young Asian people do not want to follow this tradition, sometimes it is not possible for them to avoid it or if they will say no to a partner chosen by their parents it can finish very badly for them, even with torture and death.

Their religion is not saying to treat anybody with no respect. It is their culture

and habits that push them to treat other humans in an inhuman way.

Their marriages are like Lotto, they never know what they will get as they do not have the possibility of knowing their partner before. It is very bad for a woman as after marriage she is becoming her husband's dependant and she can just pray to get a good caring husband who will treat her with respect, otherwise if she won’t be lucky her life can become a nightmare.

There was an accident previously where a husband with his family killed his pregnant wife. I do not want to comment on it. I just want to show how much power men have and how weak and powerless women are.

I would think that a married couple should treat each other with respect as both of them want to see each other's partner happy. What kind of person is satisfied and happy with having a wife who is scared of him because he makes her a slave who has no say while he can do anything that he wants with her, even killing her.

Family's camping

2010-12-18T21:14:00.001Z

Camping is not any more for people who do not have enough money to go into a proper hotel, although it can help you to spend less. Modern camping is recognized as a new experience and a freedom for children. Most camping fields are situated close to mountains, so you will have less to walk to a chosen top. It is hassle free also as you can drive to a camping field and leave a car there, while you will go to climb mountains.

Advantages of camping

While camping, you can take your pets with you and you do not need to worry that it will be banned. It is really a priceless experience to spend time in the fresh air for a whole day. It is quite cheap to pay for a camping field.

What should you check for before going camping?

Make sure that there will be toilets and kitchen appliances available. Most camping fields should have this equipment but all of them are run by different individuals usually so it is recommended to check these things before going there. The weather should be nice unless you are happy with cold weather and rain. Most people are coming back very satisfied from camping if they had a nice weather and dissatisfied if it was cold as there are no facilities really for camping when cold.

Costs

It is quite expensive to buy camping equipment but you will certainly get your money back if you are going to use tents, sleeping bags and mats more than one time. If you are planning to camp only once, maybe a better idea would be to borrow the equipment from somebody.

It is much cheaper than a hotel, where a night spend in a hotel would not be cheaper than £120 for a family with two children.

Price for camping for family of 4 may cost £10 per night up to £60, depending on where you will be camping, how old are children and if the camping field owner will provide with any discount for children.

Safety

The majority of camping fields are safe, although anybody can easily enter a field at any time and cause problems. If you feel unsure about children sleeping in a separate tent, get a bigger tent for the whole family.

Women’s shopping habits

2010-11-05T13:09:00.002Z

Why do women still prefer a physical store instead of online shopping?

Although times have changed, women still favor visiting stores instead of hunting for goods online. There are advantages to it but also disadvantages.

Women love shopping and we all know about that. However there is one thing about which they are not really convinced – online shopping. They prefer to spend hours in the shop choosing properly their products. Their way of shopping has a connection with the past – a long time ago they were picking forest fruits and small branches to make fires. They were spending a long time deciding which fruits to pick while men had to make quick decisions while hunting. So whenever your wife is spending a long time shopping, do not tear out your hair impatiently and do not blame her for that as she cannot do it in any other way. Instead of that you can try to convince her to choose from time to time online shopping.

And anyway if it will come to purchasing an electrical item she will ask you as she knows that you can choose the best item. So maybe you should let your female partner choose for hours food and clothes and help her in more important matters.

Disadvantages of online shopping

Firstly you cannot see a real product; you cannot do a close quality examination and try it on if it will be a clothing item. Secondly you won’t get attention from a real shop assistant but you can always make a call if you have questions about a product.

Disadvantages of shopping in a store

There is no possibility to compare prices with other shops; while using the website you can visit plenty of stores through their website and choose the cheapest one. It is especially good if you are buying bigger, non-consumable items like a TV, a fridge or a car. Only an internet search allows you to visit several places at the same time without leaving home, which means that you can do it 24 hours per day and there is no time limit and you can do it while eating lunch or feeding a baby.

Advantages of online shopping

Although shopping on internet is not popular among women, some of them find it advantageous. If you already know some products very well then you do not really need to go to a store to choose them and online shopping could be useful in this case, especially, if you want to buy bulky items.

It is really time-saving and you can visit an online store and leave the website with no purchase while when going to a physical store you feel shopping pressure and the shop workers can also put pressure on you in order to buy something. There is no need to drive anywhere and look for a parking place, so you are saving on fuel and very often there is no delivery cost. Information on product comparison is easy available, especially that in the same time you can visit a few stores without leaving your comfortable chair. Very often you do not have to even look for different products to compare prices yourself as third part shopping sites will show you the best products and prices.

And finally you can do it 24/7 and there is no problem with cancellation or returns.

Marriage roles

2010-11-01T17:37:00.004Z

Traditional classification of roles in a family obliged a man to provide his wife and children with things necessary to live and be responsible for their safety, whereas the woman had to take care of the house, children and her husband’s comfort. The situation had changed since women started working professionally. The distinction of roles stopped being obvious and predefined. Married people have a choice now of making decisions together how they want their relationship to function independently from any outside influences and social expectations on their roles, however it is like that only in more modern countries.

How psychology define a role terminology?
Social role as a social category is a collection of expectations from surroundings (a family, social groups, an institution). This role determines one’s social status and its place in a social group. Every role has set of entitlements but also responsibilities, which we need to make our priorities.
Every human already has a scheduled role which means that the roles can be sometimes contradictory to people’s wishes and life expectations.

What happens if a function in a society/community obliges us to cast a certain role? Can we be just ourselves?
Although there are no more slaves nowadays in our civilized world, there are still plenty of things which we have to do or which we cannot do. A social activity of every individual is limited by law, religion, habits, tradition and finally our family. We could say that these roles help us to keep everything in order but frankly saying, they are not giving us a choice in many cases. Everybody is perceived with respect to one’s role.

We perform different roles at work, when we speak to our children or to our wife or husband to live up to their expectations. Everybody perceives us also in a different way and we need to play our roles as wives, fathers, and diplomats by behaving in an appropriate way. Spending too much time at work, make us less spontaneous, when we are with our family.
Over the centuries we changed our life conditions, customs and morals. A long time ago, when we evolved from monkeys it was a normal thing that a woman should let many men use her vagina at any time they wanted. Later a woman could not be touched by any man other than her husband.
Nowadays there are no stiff rules how one should behave and how many sexual partners one should have, although one should have only one partner at one time in British society. (It is allowed to have more than one wife in some Arabic countries) In every society there are different moral rules, you can wait till your wedding day to have your first intercourse or you can have plenty of sex, night-stands and not be married.

Advantages of being a young mum

2010-10-25T15:04:00.001+01:00

It is recommended to have children till you are 30 years old as a young mum has the energy and the enthusiasm to enjoy her babies, while a woman who is after her 30s won’t have that much energy and the baby will be very tiring for her, even if she won’t work. Only young people have the ability of not sleeping all night from time to time and not to be sleepy during the day. Having a baby involves getting up during the night and sometimes staying nearly all night awake if baby does not want to fall asleep.

Right choices
Although the best time to have a baby is until the age of 25, it does not mean that you won’t be a good mother if you will have a baby later. For doctors it is easier to help a young woman give birth to as there will be fewer complications, that is why they are recommending them to get pregnant when they are still very young. Decide yourself if you will be happy with a smaller house, fewer holidays and a baby or if you prefer to have very nice house, go on more holidays and have no baby. Also if you would decide to have a baby after your 30s it can be more difficult to get pregnant and as a working mum you won’t have much time and maybe also money for a baby as child-minders are quite expensive. Finally your main priority will be your work and a baby will be in second place. So in the end you could even decide that a baby is not really for you or delay it after your 40s, if you will have enough savings to stay for a couple of years at home.

Simple life
However, there are still traditional families and it is possible to survive on one income, if you will manage your money properly. Everything is just about having the right priorities. If you really want to have a baby and think that you cannot afford it, you just need to value things and if you really want to have a baby, just make your life simpler. There is nothing more valuable than taking the children to the park, watching them playing or feeding them. In the end money is just money; it won’t make you happy and feel that your life is full.
Just decide yourself what are your ambition, your desire and your options and if you can afford to be out of work and stay with a baby, maybe this is what will make you really happy. Doing paid work and starting a family are two equal and very important issues. It can be very difficult for you to get a baby when you will be 40; it can equally be difficult to get a job at that age. If you know that your partner will support you all the time during which you will be staying with children and also later on you can consider putting your job in second position after having a baby.
There is also great support for single mothers, who decided to have a baby but their partners do not want to take any responsibility for being the baby’s father.
It seems that after decades, during which the number of women who work has steadily increased, the tide is turning back to a more traditional family model again.

Sources:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1294231/How-latest-generation-graduates-choosing-time-motherhood-high-flying-careers.html#ixzz0tl2e0OYd

Online shopping

2010-10-05T13:28:00.001+01:00

Online shopping can be the way of saving money shopping as very often we are buying something only because it looks nice and we just want to get it.

You can do two kinds of shopping and avoid shopping at a store when it is not comfortable for you on as you can replace it with an online shopping. Internet shopping will help you to save money, time and you will be able to have a look at plenty of products at the same time without changing a place.

Family shopping

Every mother who does not have anybody to leave her children with knows that it is so difficult to do shopping with children. You have to say no to a child many times, when it is asking about a purchase for it and it is so difficult. You are probably one of women who prefer to shop at a physical store. Why want you try something new and avoid a few not comfortable things about it? Most women prefer to shop at a physical store. Why won’t they try online shopping, especially if they already know products well and do not need to find the best ones?

Every busy mum will appreciate time saving online shopping. You just need to not be afraid of trying something new, which is online shopping and you will come back to this path again.

Buying through internet is very easy and what is more important, you can buy bulky things and you do not have to worry about carrying them and also about their volume as you can order as many things as you want and just wait for the delivery.

Why do I need to obtain a degree?

2010-08-03T12:49:00.010+01:00

In spite of all disadvantages of obtaining a degree, university education has also benefits, with graduates tending to be happier and living longer than those who went straight from school to work.

Students must understand that the benefit of getting a degree ‘does not necessarily translate into cash terms’ and better employment opportunities..

Common mistakes

The most common mistake which women are doing is that they keep collecting certificates as they think that it will help them. Majority of people do not need in their education more than one degree for their job purposes. So do not cheat yourself, that you need a second degree to get a job, if you did not get it after your first degree. “Professor Steve Smith, vice chancellor of Exeter University and chairman of the 1994 Group, said that employers valued the transferable life skills graduates have more than their degrees.”

The other issue is that those who won’t be successful in getting a job for graduates will pay more for completing a course than they will ever earn in their future jobs. Although current graduates have more difficulties in getting a job, it is still worth to do an effort to obtain more than A-level and it does not have to be 3 years of education or even more. If you will decide to go to university for 3 years, you should think about getting a work experience after that instead of going into another course.

Do not force yourself to go to university

In some families there is a fashion on forcing children into universities degrees. Most of teenagers who passed their A-levels can go to university but not all of them really need it. If you find that you are happy to be a plumber, you do not need to go to university. Some of professions like GP, layer requiring tohave a university degree. If you would like to become a layer for example you must go to university. Your time is precious, do not waste it but use it properly.

Sources: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1089676/University-degrees-wont-guarantee-good-job-students-told.html

How to become more efficient in your work?

2010-07-22T16:15:00.007+01:00

Many people when doing daily activities are finding that some of them are very difficult and they just do not like doing them. Disliked activities are put for later and later and then they are never done if they are not compulsory.
I myself also had problems with doing some of my daily activities but I found a solution to it. The most important is to motivate yourself. If you have too many tasks and are unable to remember all of them, make a list and tell yourself that they are things which you have to do today. It is what I did and it is really working.

Being active
Get a gym membership and start going there on daily basis. Regular exercises help to keep your physical and mental health balance. Doing exercises makes you feel stress-free as during sport activities endorphins hormones called happiness hormone is released into your blood stream. Apart of that you are getting more energy so you can do more everyday. Believe me it is better than chocolate. While exercises are recommended for men and women, they have really good consequences on women’s moody days. During activities your body is getting more oxygen, every single cell is getting the right amount of it. You will forget about PMS.

Sleeping habits
Sleep is essential for you. You should find out your optimum number of hours spent in bed. You must sleep just enough, not too little and not too much. Each person is different so maybe you can find that for you, the ideal number of hours is 8, for me it is 10 hours and for somebody else 5 hours. Sleeping too much would make you feeling tired and sleepy, sleeping not enough will make you feeling nervous, tired and with lack of energy.

How to start every day?
Make sure that you don’t go out without breakfast. It would be best if you would prepare your lunch also as ready meals are full of conservatives and hidden fats so if you take care of your health, spend 5 minutes more at home on preparing your lunch.

The advantages of the popular birth control contraceptive pill

2010-07-06T12:54:00.005+01:00

Women in the past

Times have changed a lot since the contraceptive pill has been invented. Previously women’s job was to give birth to a large number of children, taking care of them and their husbands. It was making women feel and be powerless in every aspect of their life. Their choices and decisions were dictated by their husbands. Women were unable to control their number offsprings and also give children basic things like education and proper food. All their faith and hope for a better life were in their husbands’ hands.

Women being dependant

Husbands were just humans, so some were treating their wives well, others not. The scary thing was that women who were treated with no respect by their husbands had nowhere to go and had to appreciate that they are fed by their husband.

Those women did not have any choice as they were dependent on their husbands. The system was saying that every young woman should get a husband and soon after marriage have her first baby. Women were also not allowed to go into education.

The contraceptive pill allowed women to control the number of children and also to make their and their family’s life better. People are not talking about these things but many children in big family previously were suffering from poverty. Instead of going to school they were going to work and were also starving as there were too many of them to be fed.

Working woman

Finally the women got their votes, ability to go into education, work and at the same time be able to have family. Many of them are successful in their jobs. Some want to concentrate only on their job and do big careers. Being a successful working woman doesn’t stop to being a great mum also; in this case you will have to put of course your career before a family and find out if your partner will support you.

Men still getting more

The truth is that men are still getting better jobs and better payments but time is changing. Before, there was no room for women in the workplace. Nowadays they can work and step by step job opportunities on higher positions are arising for them.

Fashion on having sons

2010-06-03T12:42:00.004+01:00

Sons better than daughters in Indian families

In Indian culture parents who have a daughter have to give all belongings away when a daughter is getting married. As a result, it is very expensive to have a daughter and not many parents have enough money to raise even one. A lot of couples are deciding to have abortions when they find out that they will have a baby girl. It is so sad and so unfair but this is Indian reality.

Couples who go on to have a daughter treat her worse than boys because
they know that they will eventually lose out on her; that she will leave them taking everything they have.

Killing a new life is especially sad for people who feel really bad with doing it but have no choice. The bread winners feel that if they would afford to have a daughter their wife would not have to go to hospital to kill a new life growing in her. People are saying that money is not important, but only if it des not concern them.

There are not only married couples who are deciding on having an abortion. They are others, like their families, mothers and mothers-in-law who already know what it means to have a girl pushing them to have an abortion.

Who is really deciding about abortions?
It’s not always women deciding about abortions. They are just toys moved and manipulated by others. No mother would kill a baby growing in her if she would not be forced because of her circumstances.
Mothers know best what it means to be a girl and a daughter. They were also daughters, they know themselves how badly and disrespectful they were treated so maybe even from their point of view it is better to kill an unborn baby than watch later how it would be treated with no dignity.

People sacrificed choices
Myself I would prefer to kill an unborn daughter than watch how a baby boy can have everything and be a happy child, while any daughter would be treated like some waste and she would be unhappy and very sad.
Is there any parent, anybody who would like to see their daughter permanently sad and not be able to help her? What future she could have if she won’t even finish school?

Killing baby girls is a lesser evil than giving birth to them and letting others treat them with no respect and being unable to raise them in a fair and normal way.

Peoples equal life opportunities
Everybody should be treated equally, it does not matter what colour of skin they have, how old they are or if they are man or woman. It sounds nice and not difficult to give someone into life but it seems that it is not easy afterwards to raise them as all over the world human’s rights are broken.

Should we just stand and watch or maybe try to do something to improve our and other people’s wellbeing?

When is the best time to have a baby?

2010-05-11T16:38:00.012+01:00

Your priorities.

Every woman has different priorities and different goals in life, in her personal life and in her professional ambitions. If you feel that you will be happy to be a housewife and there will be no money problem in your house you can plan starting a family and getting a baby.
If you just finished college and plan on going to university but at the same time you would like to have a baby, write down the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Having a baby is a "beautiful experience" but only if it will come at right time.

A baby is a nice “experience” but only if it will come at the right time. So if you do not want to do dodgy
and bottom jobs in the future as you won’t have any qualifications you should first go to university and do a couple years of work and then plan on having a baby unless you are sure for 100% that your baby's partner will provide you and baby with everything and you won't have to work.

Taking your decision seriously.

A baby is not a pet so if you will find that you are not very happy with it, if it is too much hard work or you simply find out that financially you can not afford it you have to live with it. If a parent is unhappy it will make a baby feel also unhappy as when you will be sad you will speak in a different way to your child, sometimes nervously.
But remember that you can not delay forever having a baby as it can be also too late for it. You should find a balance between your personal and professional life. Remember life is too short to procrastinate for too long important events in your life. If you already have a partner who loves you and you do not know him from yesterday why not have a baby? It will change your life for ever, from the time when a baby will appear in the world it will be the most important for you but a caring and loving husband will understand it as he can get himself glass of water while a baby needs your attention 24 hours a day.

Preparation for a wedding day

2010-04-27T15:42:00.009+01:00

A lot of women are planning to loose their weight because they think that they will look better. Some of them are buying in advance one – two sizes smaller wedding dresses. It is not good way of thinking as you do not know if you will loose any weight and even if you will loose it you don’t know how many stones/lb. You won’t look nice in a wedding dress which won’t fit you properly and it will be too small or too big.

Only guys are aloud to have too loose. To tight wedding men’s shirts as they do not need to impress anybody with their appearance as much as you need, as you want.

Second think, if you will loose too much weight your skin, body can look saggy like you would old woman. If your partner is marrying you it means that he is accepting you and is happy with your curves. No men like bonny women. Before you will decide that you would like too loose weight think properly, if you really need to do it.

How to correct figure disadvantages:

Ø If your shoulders are too big just get a wedding dress with shoulders covered

Ø Your breasts are too small get a push up bra or bra with pads or 2 of them;

For too big breasts you should get proper bra, which will cover whole breasts and it can be a little bit too small as it will flat on your breasts and make them look smaller.

You should not worry about too small or too big hips as you will have wide bottom of your dress

Ø Sticking out belly - it would be better if your wedding dress will be a little bit loose on your waists rather than tight.

You should not think too much about your wedding day, treat it as normal day, think that there will be only your and your heart chosen partner – if you will do it this way you will avoid no needed stress. Ask your best friend, maybe mother about helping you with choosing right clothes, make up and hair style. Sometimes is good to get somebody else opinion.

Do not eat too healthy, it is dangerous!!

2010-04-27T15:36:00.006+01:00

Doctors and dietetics are telling us all the time how important it is to eat healthy and avoid eating processed food.

I definitely agree with that but there is one catch.

Eating healthy food can become your obsession; there is professional name for it – ortorexia.
There were already a few cases which nearly had a fatal ending. Some women wanted to eat healthier and healthier, they found that they cannot eat so many things as preparing meals was taking them a few hours.
One example - Kristie Rutzel from Richmond, first started a vegetarian diet and then
moved on to a vegan diet but it was still not enough for her. She stop going to restaurants as she could not even think about eating something with a few grams of fat. She lost half of her weight: before her “diet” she was 54 kg, after 27kg.
In her case doctors found that if she did not start eating normal unhealthy food instead of healthy food she would die.
A lot of doctors are saying that ortorexia is a variation of anorexia as a lot of patients have obsessions about losing weight.
Ortorexia causes isolation from people – patients stop having a social life as they cannot drink and eat normal food, suffer from interpersonal conflicts and spend too much time concentrating on food for a whole day as they need to think carefully about what to eat.

So there is a borderline where after crossing it healthy food and diets are becoming more harmful than helpful.

How to lose weight quickly?

2010-04-21T18:43:00.009+01:00

If you believe in diet miracle which will help you to lose 10kg in 10-20 days I must tell you that there is not such a thing.

Have you ever heard about the Yo-Yo effect?

The Yo-Yo effect means to lose and put back on weight, very often even more than you lost.

You should plan properly, maybe consult with a doctor how many kg you should/would like to lose and then decide in how many months you can achieve your ideal weight.

Eat healthy

Start eating healthy; avoid eating empty calories like sweets; limit drinks with added sugar like coke, juices, fanta etc

Eating chocolate is healthy only if
you are eating very small dozes like 10 – 15g; if you will eat 50 – 100g of chocolate, biscuits or any other sweet stuff, this is becoming very unhealthy.

Put into your weekly plan doing some activities like walking, running, swimming or any other activities which you like; start 3 times per week half hour each session to get 3 hours of exercises per week.

What food you should eat?

Choose food rich in proteins and with a low carbohydrate index for example brown bread or buckwheat

Do not use sauces; eat rather steamed food than fried. Potatoes and rice by themselves are not very calorific dishes but after adding a few spoons of oily sauce they become very calorific meals.

Cook at home as you will get very good quality food and you do not know what you are buying shops. Meals from shops or fast foods are usually very fattening food.

If you are on diet it does not mean that you can not have your favourite meal at all. You can have it once per week – if normally it would be a big portion eat half. So get your favourite ice cream, chocolate or chicken steak with gravy and fries.

You will have to change your eating habits for life – if you will go back to your old habits you will put back on weight.

Try to be active and do some sports; if you run for 1 hour you will burn calories from fast food meals.

Your body

2010-04-08T20:54:00.004+01:00

Do you feel too fat, too skinny?
Do you have other worries such as fat legs, short legs, skinny legs, protruding belly (even if you are normally built), very small breasts and many other parts you dislike?

If yes, then what you are doing with about them?
Do you feel that you reduce contact with people because you don’t feel comfortable with your body
and you won’t go to swimming for example?
Do you think that an ideal figure will make you being more respected and liked by others?Do you expect that your body will become one day perfect looking? Do you keep being on diet all the time?

Every woman would like to change something in her appearance.
The most important think to start feeling better is just to stop thinking about your figure’s appearance.

Tips:

• Try to attract attention to your figure’s best parts such your nice hair, voluptuous breasts or beautiful face. Hide your figure’s less appealing parts.

Small breasts:
• If you have very small breasts and you do not feel comfortable with them buy a push-up bra.
• Do not wear bras and tops which will squeeze your breasts to make them even smaller (you have to choose your bra properly)
• Wear décolletés in a V shape, they will visually enhance your cleavage.

Big breasts:
• Do not wear too revealing décolletés as they will make your breasts looking even bigger.
• Avoid wearing décolletés in V shapes.
• You can buy a special bra which will make your breasts look smaller, just look properly in shops, ask shop assistant; you can get it on website as well.

Protruding big belly:
• Do not wear tops and dresses that are too tights, try too choose a slightly looser clothes (5 – 10cm loose).
• Do not wear clothes on your upper body that are too loose as they will look shapeless on you and will visually enlarge your belly.

Heavy legs:
• Do not wear leggings if your legs are bigger than a size 10 – 14 as your legs would look very heavy in them.
• If your legs look chubby it doesn’t mean that you cannot wear skirts – well chosen skirts can make you look slimmer – you should best choose a skirt up to your knees (or minimally shorter) or longer.
• Do not wear wide skirts/dresses - unless you are very skinny as they will make you look a few kg heavier

Skinny legs:
• If you think that your legs are skinny you can wear wide skirts/dresses till about your knees – they will make your legs look less skinny

Your husband’s mum

2010-04-04T19:42:00.005+01:00

Do you feel that your husband’s mum wish you all the worst and she would love if your relationship goes wrong and her baby boy would move back into her place?

You should just accept that your mother-in-law will always treat you worse as you are a foreign person to her and you make her son choose you while she stays in the darkness.

You should try to keep
your distance from your mother-in-law and try to be nice as it also says a lot about your behaviour.

If you are more important than his mother.

You should discuss your worries with your partner and find out if he is on your side or if his mother is not manipulating him.

If you find that you come before his mother, you should not worry about her; just think that she is some nasty neighbour whom you need to visit from time to time.

If you are less important than his mother.

You should discuss with him seriously that this is wrong as he will share his life with you, not with his mother. Do not ban him from visiting his mother but put a line which he cannot cross and make clear that he should discuss everything that happens with you as you are his best friend.

Try to speak with his mother.

This was the worst version of your partner’s mother but maybe you will be lucky and she will love you. She is just a human, unhappy human, who feels heartbroken because she kept her son under her roof for a quarter of a century and now you came along and became more important than her. Explain her that he is leaving her but he will still be there for her and if she will need him she can contact him at any time.

She just feels like she is loosing a part of herself - she was taking care of him for a long time and suddenly you came and want to take her diamond from her. How would you feel then?

Try to understand her but do not let your partner put her before you.

Real people look better than celebrities

2010-04-02T18:51:00.004+01:00

Magazine covers always show us celebrities with ideal skin, shiny hair, perfect proportions, all of course photoshopped or under an inch thick of makeup. However, these stars are not different from us at all and usually when we look properly at their pictures taken by paparazzi on the streets, we find that they even look worse than us. Full of drugs, nicotine, alcohol and botched cosmetic surgery, how can they look any other way?

The truth about celebrities
The truth is that people in TV or in magazines look different from real life and real people.
At the moment there are so many new techniques to change people’s appearance, first and foremost being the very popular computer programme Photoshop. Using this programme
you can make a fat, flat-breasted woman with manly face look like the most beautiful woman every man would like to have at his arm.

Celebrities also have the possibility to undergo plastic surgery but when they are 60 years’ old nothing will help them. When we see them in the flesh we will find out easily that they changed dramatically, that they are just old and wrinkled. The fountain of youth has not yet been discovered.