Simple exercises for memory improvement

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

To remember to pay your bills and reply to correspondence, have a mailing sorting system where you attend to your mail as soon 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 electricity account is due.

Keep a diary to help you plan the minutiae of your life. Include your to-do lists for the day, week and month. Your diary can become a portable filing cabinet for phone numbers, addresses, birthdays, medical information, phone messages, inspirational thoughts, bridge-playing strategies 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. Most people are visual learners, remembering best what they see. They benefit the most from memory notebooks and signs. Others are auditory learners, remembering best what they hear. They benefit from talking out loud or using a tape recorder. A few people are kinaesthetic learners, remembering best what they experience. They will benefit most from writing things down or acting them out. Knowing your strength will help your memory run at peak efficiency. To enhance your memory, try using all three learning modes.

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

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

By James Gunaseelan  

My life without liquorice 

Osteoporosis

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

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

However, osteoporosis is a preventable disease. Here are some tips:

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

·         Postmenopausal women over 40 should take in about 1500 mg of elemental calcium per day. If it is difficult to make this part of your daily diet, a good calcium supplement, that contains at least 500 mg 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 additional vitamin D. Use a soft margarine that contains a vitamin D-supplement or take an oral vitamin D supplement – usual requirement 600 – 800 IU daily and contained in many calcium tablets.

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

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

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

·         Exercise moderately three times a week. Walking is an excellent and easy means of exercise and provides the necessary skeletal protection and benefit. Brisk walking for 30-45 minutes three times a week is adequate. 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 osteoporosis is much more effective. This requires an understanding of predictive factors so that the likelihood of osteoporosis may be judged, an awareness of methods to measure bone mass, knowledge of lifestyle adaptations and drugs available to prevent further 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 take many forms in a relationship, but it's important to try to maintain romantic feeling throughout to help promote longevity and a happier relationship overall.

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

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

From a kiss on the cheek to an occasional bunch of flowers, romance is an attribute that few of us naturally possess, but with a little effort we can all bring to our relationships. There should never be 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 context of that particular relationship, to promote a feeling of overall satisfaction and content.

Romance and romantic behaviour are more symbols of our appreciation for the companionship and loyalty of our partner. These do not have 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 a manner that seems loving and caring towards your partner, whilst actively trying to be extraordinarily nice in showing your appreciation. Although quite difficult to express in words, even simple things like holding a door open or carrying grocery bags can help add to the overall romantic appeal of your relationship.

Adding romance to a relationship doesn't have to be hard work, and it can actually make things more enjoyable for a couple. By being a little more considerate and introducing spontaneous and romantic gestures towards each other, can rekindle the passion and fire within any relationship, leaving both feeling 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 weight loss. 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 of vegetables, poultry and fruits. Also drink at least 2 litters of water every day. 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 junk and processed food, then you can forget about weight loss altogether. These foods are very high in calories and will always cause weight gain. Keep a good stock of fresh fruit and vegetables.  Cooking your own meals will really help you to stick to healthy foods. Limit your saturated fat and sugar intake to an absolute minimum.

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

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

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

The key to weight loss is a change in attitude and once accepting 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 as far as our love is concern?”

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

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

Women try to get tips from the experienced to spice the romance between them and their husband. They try preparing delicious aphrodisiacs just to get their partner into mood. Women try to hint men by giving them a head and body massage. They wear fragrant products to set the mood for the day.

After marriage, love needs no materialistic things such as greeting 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 present love and not to see it as a task. As long as the couple enjoy each other, the bonding is strong and the understanding levels are also high so lovemaking is indeed 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 between people in love. Of all the types of kisses, nothing is more romantic and more sensual than a French kiss. The reason is that people see a French kiss is filled with passion...

Remember, a French kiss is romantic and passionate. The ultimate 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's lips.

Rub your tongue on the lips sensually to signal that you are in 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, and tilt your head angle towards one side either left or right to avoid the interference of nose.

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

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

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

Use your tongue while kissing. This type of kiss is not limited to lips but also involves tongues. While kissing, rub your tongue on the partner's lips and try to insert in the partner's mouth. You can also pull the tongue slightly with the help of your teeth when your partner tries to put the tongue inside your mouth.

This type of kiss can make the use of tongue to tickle each other 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 would be welcomed. Holding hands and gentle brush-ups during the date are good signs.

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

French kissing can quickly unleash passions. Know your limits beforehand and be prepared to put the other person on hold when you reach them.

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

Try it – it something out of this world – no wonder the French 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 express their 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 passionate sender would assemble an entire ragbag of items; when painstakingly decoded by the hopeful recipient, they revealed elaborate thoughts and sentiments.

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

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

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

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

One such volume, published in England in 1866, boasted the inclusion of several new entries and their meanings - including 30 blossoms from the conservatory and greenhouse, so that lovers would not be “condemned during the long winter months to floral silence. Unfortunately, the dictionaries did not always agree on definitions, and decoding a bouquet involved many potential traps and misunderstandings. For example, it was often difficult to be certain that the yellow rose meant “infidelity,” and a spray of orange blossom, “Your purity equals your loveliness.”

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

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

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