Simple exercises for memory improvement

Designate a place for everything. Makeduplicate keys for emergencies, and have a key holder. Remember to replace thekeys every time and you'll have one less area to improve your memory.

To remember to pay your bills and reply tocorrespondence, have a mailing sorting system where you attend to your mail assoon as possible. If you only have a few things in your 'to do' or 'action'folder, you will not need to rely on your memory to know when the electricityaccount is due.

Keep a diary to help you plan the minutiaeof your life. Include your to-do lists for the day, week and month. Your diarycan become a portable filing cabinet for phone numbers, addresses, birthdays,medical information, phone messages, inspirational thoughts, bridge-playingstrategies etc. The act of writing something down reinforces it in your memory.Make sure to look at your notebook several times a day.

Understand your own style of learning. Mostpeople are visual learners, remembering best what they see. They benefit themost from memory notebooks and signs. Others are auditory learners, rememberingbest what they hear. They benefit from talking out loud or using a taperecorder. A few people are kinaesthetic learners, remembering best what theyexperience. They will benefit most from writing things down or acting them out.Knowing your strength will help your memory run at peak efficiency. To enhanceyour memory, try using all three learning modes.

Whether its picture puzzles in books or simpleobjects in a tray, you can improve your memory by practicing remembering whatyou see. Ask someone to put ten different things on a try. Study it for 30seconds before removing it and then write down what you saw. Practice until youget a 100 per cent score. If you neither have the time nor the patience forsuch games, pick up a magazine and look at a picture. Close the magazine andtry to remember details such as how many people were in the picture? What kindof shoes was the woman wearing? Was the car blue or black?

If you are spiritually inclined, memorisefavourite parts of your book of faith otherwise try more secular things such asthe wives of King Henry VIII, the films starring Al Pacino or the lyrics to asong that you like.

By James Gunaseelan  

My life without liquorice 

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterised bybone loss and changes in the bone quality that could lead to loss of bonestrength and fractures.

Osteoporosis is a ‘silent’ or asymptomatic disease as isoften only diagnosed by means of a bone mineral density test when a person hashad a fracture.

However, osteoporosis is a preventable disease. Here aresome tips:

·        Make sure that you take in sufficient calcium.All young people from age 14 upwards need between 1000 and 1500 mg of calciumdaily in order to build up maximum bone density. That means having betweenthree and four cups of milk (skim milk if you tend to be overweight), yogurt orcottage cheese every day.

·        Postmenopausal women over 40 should take inabout 1500 mg of elemental calcium per day. If it is difficult to make thispart of your daily diet, a good calcium supplement, that contains at least 500mg of elemental calcium per tablet, should be considered. Milk, cheese,sardines, tofu and green vegetables are all rich in calcium.

·        Men between the ages of 30 and 50 need 800 -1000 mg of calcium daily and men over 50, 1200 mg of calcium per day.

·        Make sure that you get enough vitamin D. Generally,most people are exposed to sufficient sunlight in order to produce vitamin D.However, older people who spend a lot of time indoors often need additionalvitamin D. Use a soft margarine that contains a vitamin D-supplement or take anoral vitamin D supplement – usual requirement 600 – 800 IU daily and containedin many calcium tablets.

·        Additional magnesium may be needed by diabetics,alcoholics and people who take diuretics. Nuts, seeds and grains are all richin magnesium. Chicken, fish and red meat increase the absorption of magnesiumand other minerals.

·        Lose the alcohol and the cigarettes. Reducealcohol intake and stop smoking. Research has shown that between 20 and 25percent of men who drink four or more units of alcohol per day, suffer somefrom of bone loss.

·        Exercise at least twice per week. Weight-bearingexercises such as running, and resistance training, where you have to pushagainst your body weight or against weights, apparatus or elastic bands, areessential for building strong bone structure.

·        Exercise moderately three times a week. Walkingis an excellent and easy means of exercise and provides the necessary skeletalprotection and benefit. Brisk walking for 30-45 minutes three times a week isadequate. Resistance training may also enhance muscle and skeletal strength,but must be performed cautiously in the patient at high risk for osteoporosis.

Remember, although treatable, the prevention of osteoporosisis much more effective. This requires an understanding of predictive factors sothat the likelihood of osteoporosis may be judged, an awareness of methods tomeasure bone mass, knowledge of lifestyle adaptations and drugs available to preventfurther bone loss.

Do not hesitate to obtain professional medical advice.

Easy ways to reduce cholesterol

Put some romance into your relationship

Romance is a vital aspect of living and loving. It can takemany forms in a relationship, but it's important to try to maintain romanticfeeling throughout to help promote longevity and a happier relationship overall.

It doesn't take a great deal of effort to be romantic. Thesimple things in life can really make a difference to your partner, and canleave you both feeling happy with one another and the relationship.

Romance is just as vital an aspect of any relationship aslove and communication, and it can really define a successful relationship fromone destined for failure. As distinct from love, romance is more of a triviallyexpounded virtue, but one which is essential in creating a feeling of contentand satisfaction in any relationship. 

From a kiss on the cheek to an occasionalbunch of flowers, romance is an attribute that few of us naturally possess, butwith a little effort we can all bring to our relationships. There should neverbe any barrier to romance regardless of age or the length of the relationship,it is important for both partners to feel loved and wanted within the contextof that particular relationship, to promote a feeling of overall satisfactionand content.

Romance and romantic behaviour are more symbols of ourappreciation for the companionship and loyalty of our partner. These do nothave to be material gestures, and these can often be seen as attempts to 'buy'love. Rather, it is often more effective to show appreciation by acting in amanner that seems loving and caring towards your partner, whilst activelytrying to be extraordinarily nice in showing your appreciation. Although quitedifficult to express in words, even simple things like holding a door open orcarrying grocery bags can help add to the overall romantic appeal of your relationship.

Adding romance to a relationship doesn't have to be hardwork, and it can actually make things more enjoyable for a couple. By being alittle more considerate and introducing spontaneous and romantic gestures towardseach other, can rekindle the passion and fire within any relationship, leaving bothfeeling a lot happier about each other.

Being a woman

Motivational tips for losing weight

Lose weight the easy way

Nutrition is the basis for everything related with weightloss. Eat three meals every day, forget about the sausages and French fries,limit the amount of sugar you use every day and start eating a lot ofvegetables, poultry and fruits. Also drink at least 2 litters of water everyday. And, you are allowed to snack in between – see more about snacking.

Stay away from junk or fast foods. If you eat a lot of junkand processed food, then you can forget about weight loss altogether. Thesefoods are very high in calories and will always cause weight gain. Keep a good stockof fresh fruit and vegetables.  Cookingyour own meals will really help you to stick to healthy foods. Limit yoursaturated fat and sugar intake to an absolute minimum.

Eat more frequently and in smaller portions: Eating largemeals infrequently will not serve you well when it comes to weight loss. If youwere to eat, let’s say 5 or 6 small meals each day, then your weight loss willproceed more efficiently. Each time you eat, your metabolism rises and thishelps your body with fat burning. It is total allowed to snack in between butremember to snack the right way!

Cut back on your calories but don’t deprive yourself. In thelong run, if you want to lose weight, your intake of calories must be less thanthe amount of calories you burn. Start out slow and decrease your calories by asmall amount every day.

The importance of exercising cannot be overemphasised.  Weight loss without exercise is extremelydifficult. Working out builds your muscle mass and speeds up your metabolism.When your muscle mass and metabolism are increasing, you will burn off muchmore fat. Try to increase your physical activity all throughout the day.

The key to weight loss is a change in attitude and onceaccepting it, dietary changes will not be a problem.

How to snack the right way

Dietary changes to help you lose weight

Love and marriage . . . . .

Many people ask the question after marriage: “What now asfar as our love is concern?”

After marriagelove should still be there - be assured thatlove can happen any anytime. Physical attraction or change in moods need not beplanned but can happen unknowingly. A hot scene on TV can turn the couple on, asilly cat fight can become a move to get close and the household work can put afoundation to build a love network.

Even after the marriage vows, love will still be  in the air, any time can be the time to makelove. Plans can be changed or even get cancelled for the private time. Men tendto dress as less as possible when they are at home while women wouldn't mindshelling out money for fancy night wears.

Women try to get tips from the experienced to spice theromance between them and their husband. They try preparing deliciousaphrodisiacs just to get their partner into mood. Women try to hint men bygiving them a head and body massage. They wear fragrant products to set themood for the day.

After marriage, love needs no materialistic things such asgreeting cards or sweets but learning lovemaking techniques (the new positions,tricks and ideas) is what couples expect. They even gift each other lingerie,flavored condoms or even viagra to get the utmost pleasure.

The 'married' always want lovemaking to be a way to presentlove and not to see it as a task. As long as the couple enjoy each other, thebonding is strong and the understanding levels are also high so lovemaking isindeed the best way to express love after marriage.

Chicken breast recipes

Devilled chicken

The magnificent French kiss

Kissing is the way to express your love and feelings betweenpeople in love. Of all the types of kisses, nothing is more romantic and moresensual than a French kiss. The reason is that people see a French kiss isfilled with passion...

Remember, a French kiss is romantic and passionate. Theultimate aim is to create a romantic mood filled with intimacy and tender love.The first rule is to moisten the lips before moving close to your partner'slips.

Rub your tongue on the lips sensually to signal that you arein a mood to kiss passionately! The secret here is that the lips must be moistened.Use lip gloss or lip balm to moisten the lips.

Once the lips are moistened, move closer to your partner, andtilt your head angle towards one side either left or right to avoid theinterference of nose.

The eyes must be closed to get in the mood and the vibe ofromance and sensuality. This will also establish intimacy.

French kiss is an open mouth kiss which involves lipcontact. Start by first kissing the closed lips and then open the mouth slowlyand let it go deep.

While you give a French kiss, you either suck the lower orupper lip at a time. If you are sucking the lower lip of your partner, yourupper lips will be sucked by the partner.

Use your tongue while kissing. This type of kiss is notlimited to lips but also involves tongues. While kissing, rub your tongue onthe partner's lips and try to insert in the partner's mouth. You can also pullthe tongue slightly with the help of your teeth when your partner tries to putthe tongue inside your mouth.

This type of kiss can make the use of tongue to tickle eachother while kissing. Use the tongue to its fullest while you give French kiss.

A fresh breath is essential. Avoid smelly foods (garlic,brie cheese, corn chips, coffee) beforehand. Freshen up with a mint or gum.

Read your date's body language to ensure a French kiss wouldbe welcomed. Holding hands and gentle brush-ups during the date are good signs.

There is no single right way to French kiss. Kissing is asindividual as the people doing it. The most important thing is to be true toyourself, your date and the moment.

French kissing can quickly unleash passions. Know yourlimits beforehand and be prepared to put the other person on hold when youreach them.

Kissing is a nice way to end a fight or to express your loveto your partner. It is intimate, sensual and filled with passion. Kissinganytime makes you feel great. For women, kissing is a way to know and expressyour love. If her man kisses her, she feels wanted and loved.

Try it – it something out of this world – no wonder theFrench is such passionate lovers!!!

Article: Easy ways to reduce cholesterol

The language of love

Red roses, boxes of chocolates, love letters, diamond rings…….Over the ages, lovers have found and invented many symbolic ways to expresstheir deepest feelings towards someone they love.

One of the most curious and complicated examples of lovers’language evolved in 18^th century Turkey. There, the passionatesender would assemble an entire ragbag of items; when painstakingly decoded by thehopeful recipient, they revealed elaborate thoughts and sentiments.

Some of these love packages, secretly delivered by a peddlerwoman, could easily be mistaken for wastebaskets. In addition to certainflowers, with their own traditional meanings, the parcels contained otherobjects, such as charcoal (meaning “May I die and you live long”) or wax (“Iperceive that all the ice of your heart cannot diminish the heat of the fireyou have kindled in mine”)

A well-known traveller and letter-writer of the time, LadyMary Wortley Montagu, learned about this extraordinary language during her stayin Constantinople. She wrote to a friend:”There is no colour, no flower, noweed, no fruit, herb, pebble or feather that has not a verse belonging to it.”

No one seems to know who introduced such language intoWestern Europe, but within a few years it had become the craze of fashionablelovers in Germany, France, and England. By that time, however, the objects hadbeen eliminated from the packages and only the flowers remained.

Until the end of the 19^th century, this romanticand colourful flower language captivated young and old. Many books were devotedto the subject, and publishers vied with each other to produce the mostup-to-the–minute dictionary.

One such volume, published in England in 1866, boasted theinclusion of several new entries and their meanings - including 30 blossomsfrom the conservatory and greenhouse, so that lovers would not be “condemnedduring the long winter months to floral silence. Unfortunately, thedictionaries did not always agree on definitions, and decoding a bouquetinvolved many potential traps and misunderstandings. For example, it was oftendifficult to be certain that the yellow rose meant “infidelity,” and a spray oforange blossom, “Your purity equals your loveliness.”

By the 1880’s the fashion for using flowers as a languagehad died out. Today many would argue even after all these years; red roses arestill given as expressions of love.

And no doubt in a spring meadow somewhere in the worldtoday, a beautiful woman is stripping petals off daisies while musing”He lovesme, ………He loves me not……. He loves me.”

Ten delicious ways to use eggs (you must read this!)