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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Small steps can make significant changes in your weight and overall health.


Five Small Steps

Be proud of yourself as you make the right choices and realize that getting healthy is a journey that you must commit to for the rest of your life.

If you are ready to get on track for a healthier lifestyle, start with these five simple steps and it will make a big difference in your everyday life.

Don't do "Diets" – Americans spend 1 to 2 billion dollars on weight loss products and yet 60 percent of people are overweight or obese. The key to successful weight loss is to change the way you eat forever. Prepared diet foods will help you to lose weight but these programs often result in only a temporary weight loss with the weight coming back within 6 months. By changing what you eat to a more balanced menu and by adding exercise on a regular basis, you will be able to lose weight and, more importantly, maintain the weight loss for life.

Five and Two Plan – Decide that you will eat healthy for five days a week and allow yourself some treats two days a week. Most people have family gatherings and parties on the weekend and we take in extra calories during these times. Think about your schedule each week and figure out when you can have an extra helping or include a dessert to share with someone. Remember that your cheat days are not called "binging days" but rather days that you can include a little more food than your usual "healthy eating" days.

Schedule Your Life – According to government recommendations, adults should be working out five days a week for 30 minutes to lose and maintain a healthy weight. Each week, you should make a plan as to when you will work out. Exercising does not have to be a specific program such as a spin class at your local gym. Taking a brisk walk with your friends during lunch or marching in front of your television while you watch your favorite show will count toward your 30 minutes per day. Be creative and get your body moving.

Weigh Yourself on Fridays – One mistake people often make is they decide to weigh themselves on Mondays. It can be very frustrating to get on the scale after eating a little too much during the weekend. If you weigh yourself on Friday, you can have a few treats on the weekend and get back on schedule by Monday. Work hard all week eating healthy and exercising, and you will be in a better position for weight loss by Friday. Then you may be motivated to keep doing well all weekend, keeping your "extra treats" to a minimum.

Set Goals – You must set specific goals when committing to losing weight. Determine how much you want to lose and how you will accomplish it. Write down your goals and keep a record of how much weight you have lost, how often you are exercising and how you are feeling as you make these positive changes in your life. Keep reviewing your goals and modify them when you need to. Try to focus on reaching those goals but also give yourself some breaks when you don't reach them instantly.

Remember that taking small steps each day will add up to long-term health benefits. These changes are simple but not easy. Be proud of yourself as you make the right choices and realize that getting healthy is a journey that you must commit to for the rest of your life.

An Abu Dhabi luxury hotel that boasted an $11 million Christmas tree decorated with gold and gems


$11 million fake Christmas tree adorned with rubies, gold and diamonds in the lobby of the Emirates Palace hotel.
A statement from the Emirates Palace hotel said it regretted "attempts to overload" the Christmas tree tradition by adorning it with premium bling including gold, rubies, diamonds and other precious stones from a hotel jeweler.

The statement was a rare bit of reflection on the Gulf's ethos of excess. The tree was unveiled last week with full fanfare in a hotel that features its own gold bar vending machine and a one-week $1 million package that includes private jet jaunts around the Middle East.

But the hotel management apparently had second thoughts after questions arose about whether the opulent tree was innocent good cheer or unfortunate bad taste.

The hotel regrets "attempts to overload the tradition followed by most hotels in the country with meanings and connotations that do not fall in line with the (hotel's) professional standards," said a statement carried on the state-run news agency WAM.

The hotel even tried to distance itself from the 43-foot (13-meter) faux fir in one of its rotundas, saying a hotel-based jeweler was solely responsible for creating and decorating the tree.

"The hotel is just a venue for exhibiting the tree," the statement said.
source...google news

Keep healthy eyes in old age..


Keep healthy eyes in old age..
People who lead overall healthy lives -- getting exercise, eating right, and not smoking -- are significantly more likely to keep their aging eyes healthy, new study findings report.

Exercise and diet were each linked to a lower risk of age-related degenerative changes in the eyes, but both combined, along with a lack of smoking, caused a "particularly profound lowering" of the risk -- by more than 70 percent, study author Dr. Julie Mares of the University of Wisconsin in Madison told Reuters Health.

"We don't need to be passive victims of these ravages of old age," Mares said. "Relatively small things could make a difference in whether or not we develop AMD (age-related macular degeneration) in our lifetime."

"Eat well, move, and don't smoke," she advised.

As the population ages, the concern over AMD grows. The disease is most common among people 75 and older, a group that will triple in size over the next 40 years, Mares noted. Already, one in four people older than 65 have early signs of AMD, she said.

AMD is caused by abnormal blood vessel growth behind the retina or a breakdown of light-sensitive cells within the retina itself, both of which can lead to serious vision impairment.

There is no cure, but a U.S. government clinical trial recently found that a high-dose mix of specific antioxidants -- vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and zinc -- can slow the progression of AMD in the intermediate stages, and doctors now commonly prescribe it for such patients.

Another study published earlier this year found that older adults who eat fatty fish at least once a week may have a lower risk of serious vision loss from AMD.

But healthy habits tend to work together in achieving certain health goals, such as lowering blood pressure, Mares noted, suggesting that diet and exercise could have a synergistic impact on eye health into old age.

To investigate, she and her colleagues reviewed information about diet, exercise, and smoking from 1,313 women between the ages of 55 and 74, collected during the 1990s. Women were revisited on average six years later, at which point they received an eye exam to check for AMD.

Two hundred and two women had AMD, most of it early-stage disease.

Among the women who ate the healthiest, 11 percent had developed an early form of AMD. In contrast, the condition was present in 19 percent of women with the worst diets, factoring in their intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, fat and sugar, among other elements.

About one in 10 women who exercised the most developed AMD, versus one in five of those who barely got any exercise. When the researchers combined the influence of diet, exercise and no smoking, the risk of AMD decreased even further, even though smoking alone was not related to AMD.

Since previous research has linked specific dietary elements to AMD, the researchers looked at the associations of specific antioxidants with AMD risk. Women with higher levels of these antioxidants were less likely to develop AMD, but not as much as women who ate well overall, Mares noted. "The findings for overall healthy diets are much stronger than for single nutrients," she said.

Fashion Fridays - A High Lifestyle Fashion Party at Vie Lounge, Mumbai

Fashion Fridays - A High Lifestyle Fashion Party at Vie Lounge, Mumbai

Bengaluru, Karnataka, December 14, 2010 /India PRwire/ -- Fashion Fridays is an Event concived and conceptulized by Dream Merchants as a High Lifestyle Fashion Event to promote Bledners Pride Bangalore Fashion Week at different cities of IndiaLaunched by Blenders Pride, it has been conceived and conceptualised as a high lifes
tyle fashion party to promote Blenders Pride Bangalore Fashion Week in different cities of India. As beautiful models dressed in creations of different designers mingled with the guests, celebrities like Achla Sachdev and Shveta Salve were seen admiring the outfits. And we must say, Shveta looked quite hot herself, dressed in a white shirt and denim mini-skirt.

The party was attended by top designers including Rocky S, Riyaz Gangji, Aslam Khan, Tasleem Merchant, Sharad Ragav and Archana Kochhar, who later grooved to DJ Ryan Beck's music.



Read more: Fashion Fridays for Mumbai - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/filmi-parties/bollywood/Fashion-Fridays-for-Mumbai/articleshow/7123123.cms#ixzz18Z58oNGO

Fashion Fridays - A High Lifestyle Fashion Party at Vie Lounge, Mumbai

Fashion Fridays - A High Lifestyle Fashion Party at Vie Lounge, Mumbai

Bengaluru, Karnataka, December 14, 2010 /India PRwire/ -- Fashion Fridays is an Event concived and conceptulized by Dream Merchants as a High Lifestyle Fashion Event to promote Bledners Pride Bangalore Fashion Week at different cities of India

Launched by Blenders Pride, it has been conceived and conceptualised as a high lifestyle fashion party to promote Blenders Pride Bangalore Fashion Week in different cities of India. As beautiful models dressed in creations of different designers mingled with the guests, celebrities like Achla Sachdev and Shveta Salve were seen admiring the outfits. And we must say, Shveta looked quite hot herself, dressed in a white shirt and denim mini-skirt.

The party was attended by top designers including Rocky S, Riyaz Gangji, Aslam Khan, Tasleem Merchant, Sharad Ragav and Archana Kochhar, who later grooved to DJ Ryan Beck's music.



Read more: Fashion Fridays for Mumbai - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/filmi-parties/bollywood/Fashion-Fridays-for-Mumbai/articleshow/7123123.cms#ixzz18Z58oNGO