Day: March 2, 2009

Meet the New YOU

by shabnamahsan
By Bill Mansell
A wise comedian once joked, “wherever I go, I must take myself along – and that spoils everything!” If you woke up on January first this year, and realized, to your dismay, that you have taken the “old you” into the new year. I have good news: the “new you” is just around the corner, waiting to meet you. What is this person like, this “new you?” Thinner? More organized? Better educated? A great communicator? A more caring spouse, parent, or partner? The exciting thing is that you get to decide. Take a moment and think about it. If you could improve any area of your life right now, what would you change? If you were about to be introduced to the ideal “new you,” what kind of person would you expect to meet? Write down 3 or 4 of the top attributes that you see in this new you.
Now for the all-important question. What are you going to do about it? If you say, “I sure wish I were that person.” Then you will never become that person. Because wishing and wanting are not enough. Listen to the message in this insightful poem by Richard G. Welch.
                 Decide to Do
The easiest thing, in the world of things,
Is to sit and wait, until somebody brings
Complete instructions on what to do,
And how to do it, and when, to you.
It’s easy then to go straight ahead
And follow orders, just do what they said.
If it comes out wrong, and your work is vain,
Why, that’s for somebody else to explain.
Yes, it’s easy to sidestep and pass the buck,
But, the person who does it is out of luck;
Since the big success always seeks the man,
Who can plan his work, and work his plan.
The power of the one whom the world consults
Is based on this: that he gets results.
If you’d follow in his footsteps, you yes you,
You must learn to decide, then decide to do.
When I was 37, I decided that I wanted to go back to college to get more education. Juggling a full-time career, family, church and community responsibilities were difficult enough without the additional time commitment of school. But it was something that I really wanted to do. I could see the person that I wanted to become and I knew this was an important step. So, I made the commitment and jumped in. At first it was a little strange, sitting in classrooms with other students in their early twenties (they all looked 14 to me). But, once I got started, and developed a regular routine, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had worried. In almost no time, I had completed my degree and was well on my way to becoming a new me. 
I challenge you to get started today. Write down the things you want to change. Identify the resources, groups, books, or CDs that can help you. Write out your plan, commit to it, and then take action! Small steps, acted on each day, can effect major changes in your life. Soon, you will walk tall knowing that you have embraced the new you

source:http://www.mindperk.com/resources/articles/74/1/190/Meet-the-New-YOU.html

How to Be Over 40 and Fit

by shabnamahsan
by Billy Carney
Imagine having a body that’s a fat burning machine and able to build lean muscle tissue in less time than it takes to read the very blog this entry is in!
Now are you really that busy not to exercise?
Heart Disease, Bad Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, Sexual Dysfunction, Cancer.With all the warning signs with all the words of caution with all the telltale indicators that your body is slowly breaking down  how come a good portion of people approaching forty years of age and beyond, just don;t get it?
Have you ever looked at two people who were both middle age and noticed that one of them looked like they were much older and the other looked much younger? Did you ever wonder why? Read on, this article could be the fitness breakthrough you have been waiting for.
Research tells us that a date on a calendar doesn’t measure a person’s true age anymore. The healthiest people in this world are those who devote time, energy and a little bit of effort to get that way. What that means is that there is no free lunch when it comes to being fit, lean and healthy.
Unfortunately, most people don’t feel the need to work out until they get a friendly reminder from their physician. Let’s face it, we all know exercise is good for us, but until the consequences hit us square in the face, we’ll have a hard time doing something about it.
If you don’t know where you are going or how to get there, you’re bound to get lost.
So, if you’re frustrated, overworked, dissatisfied and fed up about losing control of that ever expanding waistline, there’s still hope for you. Just by putting a little bit of lean muscle tissue on your frame will start reversing the aging process almost immediately.
As we age, we need to realize that our bodies aren’t what they used to be. We’re no longer the star athlete or the one envied by all for being able to fit in that size 2 dress all the time. 
Our bodies begin to lose strength, bone density and muscle mass. Scientific experts have proven that being overweight is more detrimental than you think. it now accounts for increased rates of death by cancer. If cancer is not enough to scare you, you should also be concerned with osteoporosis. Exercise (intense exercise/high resistance exercise) is the only way to reverse this process.
If you’re over 40 and feel as if life is passing you by, stop by your local fitness center for a Fitness Makeover.
Your health is your greatest asset. Make it a priority and watch how good you’ll start to feel (and look) every day!

source:http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/How_to_Be_Over_40_and_Fit.html

Applying Concealer

by shabnamahsan

Helping to even out the facial skin, concealers are sometimes the only cosmetic that many women prefer to use along with powder for daily purposes. For summer, you may need a shade darker to match your skin tanned and baked in the sun. It basically camouflages facial imperfections and balances out your complexion by hiding out the skin blemishes and under-eye circles. For accurate results, apply the concealer using a small fine tipped brush and blend it well. A yellow-based concealer is a best match for most of the skin tones while translucent powder helps it to set.

A concealer with a high pigment level and having mineral oil as its contents is best for camouflaging purposes as it covers the spot better and stays on the top of the face for more time. It is best to check whether a concealer matches your skin or not in sunlight for correct estimations. Buy the concealer that blends so well that it seems to disappear on the skin and yet hide the targeted spot. Here are some tips to use concealer wisely to get best results:
*Adding yellow eye shadow to the concealer can effectively cover dark circles.
Blue or green eye shadow added to concealer is helpful to mask ruddy tones and broken capillaries.

*Dry your pimple with the help of a blow dryer on low heat and then use a pointed brush to target the yellow-toned concealer that matches the tone of your foundation, which is dry and has a high pigment level, to the spot. Lightly press around the edges with fingers. Set with loose powder. You can also use concealer pencil for the purpose.

*Freckles and pigmentation must only be hidden when it is absolutely necessary as it takes a heavy layer of concealer to cover them up and can look worse. Moisturize the skin well and apply a creamy concealer, which is a shade lighter than your foundation and set it with loose powder. For added glamour, you can also dust it with subtle, skin-toned shimmer powder.

*The inside of the nose bridge, corner of moth and outer corner of eyes are the most susceptible areas and need special attention while applying concealer.
The slightly dehydrated residue in the cap of your foundation can be quite an effective concealer that matches your foundation perfectly.

*To eliminate under-eye dark circles, choose a creamy concealer with medium pigment level and matt finish. Loose powder may end up accentuating the aging lines in the area. A silky make-up primer with a high level of silicone applied to the area before using the concealer, helps to better mask the area while it also hydrates and smoothen the lines. Apply the concealer by using the synthetic concealer brush and then press into the skin with the fingertips.

*To get rid of red scars and birthmarks, use yellow-based concealers. Apply a matt primer to the scars before using drier concealers with high pigment level to cover them up. For raised scars use a slightly darker shade of concealer than your natural skin tone while lighter shade is for indented scars. Set with loose powder.
To hide broken capillaries, you need a yellow-based concealer with a high pigment level and pointed fiber brush for precise application. Press the concealer using the fingertips and then dust with loose powder to let it set.


source:http://beauty.iloveindia.com/makeup/applying-concealer.html

10 Reasons Why Sun Is Good for Our Health

by shabnamahsan

Even the Stone Age people knew the Sun brought life on Earth and that is why they used to worship it. But the sun waves can heal and destroy, they can be the kiss of life or death. It depends on the way we use them.

1. The sunlight kills microbes. That’s why it is important to put out in the sun carpets, blankets and eiderdowns that cannot be washed regularly. Exposure to the sun confers the skin a bright, healthy look and increased elasticity.

A moderately tanned skin is more resistant to infections and sun burning than an untanned one. Many skin diseases (dermatitis) can be
controlled and even cured through controlled exposure to the sun.

The sun rays are proven to strengthen the immune system.

2. Due to the sun our mood and morals improve. Sunlight helps in cases of chronic or acute depression, by stimulating the synthesis of endorphins (good-feeling hormones). That’s why we get depressed in the cold and dark days of the winter.

3. The sun is good against insomnia. Daytime exposure to sunlight increases the melatonin production during the night. This hormone helps regulate the sleep.

4. Under the action of the sunlight, the skin synthesizes vitamin D, which makes possible calcium absorption in the intestine, helping the organism grow strong bones. This way the sun prevents rachitism in both children and adults and osteoporosis in elders.

5. As vitamin D and some related compounds impede the development of some cancer cells, we can say the sun fights off this disease. Regular and controlled exposure to the sun has a preventive effect against cancer of colon, breast, leukemia and lymphomas.

6. Exposure to the sun strengthens the cardiovascular system. Blood circulation is improved, the pulse, arterial pressure, moderately high glycemia and cholesterol levels can be normalized.

7. Sun rays improve liver functioning, being effective in treating jaundice.

8. They help the kidneys with a part of their job, as the sun waves favor the elimination of waste products through the skin, when we sweat.

9. The sun also helps losing weight by increasing the metabolic rate through the stimulation of the thyroid. It also eases symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

10. The sun rays also ease the healing of the swollen joints during peaks of inflammation in cases of arthritis.


source:http://news.softpedia.com/news/10-Reasons-Why-Sun-is-Good-for-Our-Health-64327.shtml

2nd Most Important Meal of the Day-Post Workout Nutrition

by shabnamahsan
By: Jason Yun
The second most important meal of the day—Post Training, or Post Game, Post-Practice, Post Workout, Post Activity. During activity the body is stressed physically, mentally, and emotionally. Your muscle glycogen stores (stored carbohydrate) in the muscle and the liver have been depleted. Even with the best pre-workout nutrition, depletion of glycogen levels and amino acid stores is inevitable. You are currently in state of catabolism (muscle and tissue breakdown). You need to switch off the catabolic state and turn on an anabolic one (muscle and tissue repair). The window to do this is not long. Various studies have shown it to be as little as 30 minutes, while others have shown it to be up to 90 minutes after activity. I tend to give a recommendation of 45 minutes, 60 minutes at the most. But the sooner you get the nutrients you need into the body, the faster the body can recover to a normal homeostasis.
Carbohydrate is the most important nutrient needed at this time. The carbs that you consume should be simple sugars. You want foods that will elevate your blood sugar level and get into the blood stream as quickly as possible to replenish the lost glycogen. Sports drinks will do the job, fruits, supplement carbohydrate drinks work well, too. Baked potato is an ok choice. Sugary cereal like frosted flakes, sugar smacks are ok too, especially combined with no- or very low fat milk. But remember the window for this meal is small so if you have to drive home and prepare this stuff you might miss that window.
You want this meal to be in a ratio of at least 2 to 1 carbohydrate to protein. The reason being is protein is harder to digest. Post workout is the best time to take a liquid supplement, like Prograde Workout, because it’s pre-made with carbs and protein and liquid will digest a lot quicker than whole foods. Another good option is chocolate milk.
The protein you digest in this meal you also want to get in the bloodstream quickly. Again chocolate milk is a good option. Others are regular milk and a whey protein supplement, or a blended supplement, like Workout, as mentioned before. Whey is better than the other protein sources because it gets uploaded into the bloodstream and replenishes the amino acid pool much quicker than any other type. Whole protein foods aren’t as good choices post-training, but if that’s all that you have it is still much better than nothing. But stick with very lean or no fat choices like egg whites, chicken, turkey breast, and lean cuts of beef. However, if optimal recovery is your goal, I highly recommend a liquid form of carbohydrates and protein. Most of the time I do recommend whole foods over supplements, but liquids ensure that you get the proper nutrients in the right time.
As for fat, in the post-training meal, eliminate it. You do not want fat in this meal. Fat has the tendency to slow the absorption rate and digestion rate down, meaning it will take longer for the nutrients you need, carbs and protein, to reach their desired location. And it could even cause those nutrients to be less effective, or even miss the window of opportunity all together. Some fat is good– some is bad. All fat is bad post-training time. Don’t eat it!
As you can see this meal is very important. Second only to breakfast. It’s just as important to people trying to lose fat, as it is to people trying to gain muscle mass, or strength, or compete in a sporting event. If you skip it, your body has to work extra hard to make up for the lost nutrients, especially carbohydrates and protein, that occurred during the workout. Your body doesn’t like this extra work, and usually, if the workout was even moderately intense, won’t come close to reaching ‘pre-workout’ state. So in essence everything slows down, your fat burning ability, your muscle building ability, and your metabolism.

About Author
Want to learn more about fat loss and metabolism, and pick yourself up a free fat loss report? Head over tohttp://www.yuntraining.com
ason Yun is a certified sports nutritionist and strength and conditioning specialist. He is the owner of Yun Strength and Fitness Systems, LLC where is serves clients through fitness boot camps, sports, online and personal training, and nutritional classes. You can contact him via email at JYun@yuntraining.com.


source:http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/the-second-most-important-meal-of-the-day-post-workout-564952.html