Joke of the Week

A tribute Defense Forces of Sri Lanka

A tribute Defense Forces of Sri Lanka Your alarm goes off;

you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes

He stays up for days on end

You take a warm shower to help you wake up

He goes days or weeks without running water

You complain of a 'headache', and call in sick

He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward

You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you

He knows he may not see some of his buddies again

You complain about how hot it is

He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong

He doesn't get to eat today

Your wife/mother/ maid makes your bed and washes your clothes

He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean

You go to the mall and get your hair redone

He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over

He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight

He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday

He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume

You roll your eyes as a baby cries He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him

He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded - and of the innocents who have no one to stand up for them

You see only what the media wants you to see

He sees the broken bodies lying around him

You stay at home and watch TV

He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable

He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be awakened by gunfire

You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him If only there were more men like him!

WHO is HE?

If you support him, then please re-send this to everyone you know... Perhaps people will change their attitude and behavior to support HIS worthy cause... HE is sacrificing his today for our future Sri Lanka .

WE MUST LOOK DOWN UPON RACISM IT HAS CLAIMED TOO MUCH IN OUR PRECIOUS PARADISE ISLE !!!

Top 10 Ways to Get Lucky at Love

Top 10 Ways to Get Lucky at Love

1. Know what you want. Your looks change and fade, character does not. While a certain amount of "chemistry" is nice, don't rely solely on lust. What qualities are you looking for in a mate? My book "Find a Sweetheart Soon! Your Love Trip Planner for Women" helps readers define their love goals.

2. Get clear about what you don't want. Knowing what you really can't tolerate in a partner is important. Make a list of your "don't wants" and then cut it down to the 10 most important. Any more than that and you'll be too picky.

3. Live your life. Once you know clearly what you want (and don't want) in a relationship, shift your focus to living your life. You'll find that you start noticing those who might fit, and passing by those who don't.

4.See the big picture. Don't try so hard that you miss the obvious. If you are great at focusing, step back now and then and look at the big picture. Work on having a playful, whimsical attitude towards life.

5. Get out of the house. Cultivate opportunities to
expand your social circle and meet new people
expand your social circle and meet new people. Vary your routine. Have you thought of entertaining to enlarge your social circle? My new ebook "Looking for Action? The Find a Sweetheart Party Planner" tells you how to throw parties to build a wonderful group of close friends - it's easy!

6. Open your eyes and your attitude. Lucky people notice, create and maximize chance opportunities. Chat with other shoppers while you are waiting in line. Be ready with a "calling card" -- a personal business-type card with basic contact information. (Want to know how to get calling cards for free? Email me for instructions).

7. Get curious. Don't content yourself with the obvious. Ask questions. Wonder why. Find answers.

8. Try something new. The best way to have things stay the same is to never do anything different. Vary your daily routine, just to keep yourself awake. Shake yourself up and notice what happens. Keep yourself open to chance opportunities, and then take advantage of them.

9. Expect good luck. Monitor your self-talk for negative messages that interfere with luck. Replace the negative thoughts with positives. Surround yourself with examples of lucky people.

10.Learn from bad luck. Take steps to prevent more bad luck from what you have learned, then let the "bad" go. Don't dwell on or rehash the bad experience. Look for the positive elements.

How Not to Look Old

How Not to Look Old

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Fashion-and-style expert Charla Krupp is not one to mince words. "Aging sucks," she declares in her bestselling new book, How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better (Springboard). There's no reason to look like an

"OL," or old lady, in Krupp's parlance, when you can look Y & H — younger and hipper, that is.

"My whole focus is about the workplace," says Krupp. "It's not about getting a man, or holding on to your relationship. Of course, it spills over. But my focus is for the Boomer woman who is finding herself looking older than everybody else at work, and realizing that she's very vulnerable." Krupp knows her way around the beauty business: She was the beauty director at Glamour magazine and a senior editor at In Style; she's appeared on dozens of national TV shows, including the Today show (132 times!) and the Oprah show. The author is married to Richard Zoglin, a TIME senior editor. TIME's Andrea Sachs spoke with Krupp.

TIME: Aging sucks, but isn't it just reality?

CHARLA KRUPP: I don't think we have to accept it. I think we can fight like hell to do everything we can to look younger.

Are you talking about plastic surgery?

I really feel that plastic surgery is aging. My favorite quote in this whole book is from Isaac Mizrahi: "Do you want to look 70? Get a facelift." People think, I'll just go under the knife and I'll look younger. That's not the answer, because if you have a bad facelift and you look like you had a facelift and your skin is tight and you look like a frozen monkey, you're going to look old! You're going to look old enough to have a facelift, because young people don't look like that. So we have to find the perfect balance of doing something to get rid of our wrinkles and lines and sagginess — but we can't go overboard, because it doesn't work that way.

What kinds of skin procedures can we do that are not surgical?

I think that we are so fortunate to be coming of age at a time when we can go to a dermatologist and get Botox, and can get the wrinkles in our forehead and the crow's feet to disappear in a week, 48 hours sometimes. We also have so many FDA-[approved] fillers right now, these injectables — there's a new one coming out almost every single month. One of the things that happen as we age is that our faces get thinner and gaunter, and we lose fat. A thin face is an old face, so you want to keep it plump. So we can plump it up with these fillers.
To get rid of sun damage and unevenness — we were a generation that sat in the sun with record albums covered with tin foil and baby oil — we can get peels, and we can have laser work. All that is just so much easier and less abusive on your body than undergoing plastic surgery.

All of that is expensive, right?

Yes, it is. It costs a fortune. I think that you have to decide if that's the way you want to go. A lot of women do have a lot of money, and they can spend money on these things. If you can't, you're just going to have to make do with a really good skin-care system, and be diligent about your face, and maybe get Botox once a year, and not every three months. It's like hair color: Some people can afford to do it every three weeks; some people have to do it twice a year. It's whatever your budget will allow.

Hair is a big issue too, isn't it?

Yes, the older we get, the thinner our hair gets. So we have to do things to disguise a bare scalp from showing, because that's really aging. So there are haircuts that you can do, and there are bangs, and a lot of volumizing products that will make your hair seem thicker. If it's really serious, you can get a prescription from your doctor for Rogaine. And if it's super serious, you could get a hair transplant, but that's surgery. And the other thing that we really need to do is color our hair.

Do all women really need to color?

I think that most women will look younger with colored hair. Now, there's this big gray-hair movement. I understand and appreciate women who have silver hair, and I think that they can look amazing, but it's such a luxury to be able to go gray. Because it is an aging look, and it means that you don't care about people knowing your age. If you have to support yourself, if you're going back into the job market — say your job was just eliminated, and you need to get back into the swing of things — you're not going to do well with gray hair.
You write that even eyebrows can make you look old.

It's such an easy fix! To go get your eyebrows professionally plucked, even if you just do it once, is not a big deal. You can probably do it for $25 to $30 somewhere. It will make a difference, because the eyebrows can be an instant facelift. They really lift your face up. The thing that happens in so many [areas] — from your eyes to your breasts to your mouth to your stomach — is that everything starts hanging and heading south. [Laughs.] So the whole idea of looking younger is to pick everything up.

You also give tips about eyeglasses.

Glasses are a really easy fix. They're the first things that somebody sees on your face. So they should really be making a statement about how you want to look. There are glasses that are really aging, like granny glasses, wire glasses and glasses that are rimless. But when you wear a young, modern frame that's rectangular, in a tortoise shell or plastic, your frames are very edgy. They have a lot of style. Right now, a really thick temple is really hot. You're giving up your style if you're just wearing one of those classic frames. They don't say anything, those classic frames. They just say old. A young person, a teenager or a 20-year-old, who wears glasses would not wear one of those rimless frames.

Women tend to think they need to wear more foundation on the face as they get older. In the book, you say no.
Wearing less is the secret. So many women are really caking it on. The truth is that the best look your skin can have is to look like your own skin is just glowing. The further you get from that, the more you put on it, the less you're going to have the shine and the radiance and the glow. So if you have good skin, you should put very little on it. One of the best products you can use these days is tinted moisturizer with SPF. Some days, that's all I wear.

What about lipstick?

That's another really easy fix. Dark lipstick is SO aging. This dark burgundy that some people wear — it's like Elvira! If you have any kind of cracks on the top of your lips, a dark lipstick with a dark pigment — like a red or an orange or a burgundy — will just find those cracks and seep in, and [your lips] will look worse. But if you're wearing a light pink, no one will see what's going into the cracks. Also, you should have a heavy-duty gloss on it, because it gives you this luminosity around your mouth. Light colors will make your lips look fatter.

You're an advocate of teeth-whitening.

Yes, I think teeth-whitening is great. The older we get, the grayer or yellower our teeth look. It's not a youthful sign. Young kids have big, white shining teeth. And now everybody does. Because we can all buy it! A lot of women are embarrassed about their mouth, and they cover up with their hands when they smile. It's really kind of an aging thing. There are different price points for better teeth. This is a very American thing, by the way. Teeth are not that important in other parts of the world.

Nails — long, short, fake, real?

Well, this is a very polarizing debate in this country. [Laughs.] Women in the South love really long nails. And any woman who is involved in the nail industry likes really long nails. Because the truth is when you have these long, fake nails, you're a slave to those nails, and it's going to cost you a lot of money at the manicurist to get them done. Aside from the money it takes, I really don't think it's healthy to put a lot of glue and whatever it is they use to adhere the nails. Also, the look of a really long, dragon-lady nail is not youthful, because we need to use our hands for so many things, especially now with Black Berrys and text-messaging. Long nails really get in the way.

What about nail polish colors?

Dark nail polish is very hip and trendy right now. But if you do that, you just have to be careful that they're not chipping. If you have dark nail polish, it could chip much more easily, or at least show up more easily than a sheer color. I think it's just easier to stick with a clean, light pink sheer. It's fun to wear a dark burgundy also — it's much easier to wear that on your toes.

Do people also need to readjust their wardrobes as they get older?

Yes. There is such a thing as clothes that are too young, and then clothes that are too aging. You want clothes that are totally right and age appropriate, and make you look young, hip and powerful. It's also a matter of getting rid of things in your closet that really date you.
You’re a proponent of shape wear.

I love shape wear! I wear it every single day. If you want to look thinner than you really are, just slip on a pair of bike shorts. They really hold everything in, and they won't give you visible panty lines — VPLs. It gives you a sense of control and competence to wear shape wear under pieces, and they're not like your mother's girdles that are so tough to wear. They're actually really comfortable; there's a lot of Lycra in them.

What about hose?

Pantyhose are the devil! Nude hose is something that is very old-ladyish, because it bags up by your ankles. There are so many cooler things to wear, like dark, opaque stocking in the wintertime, or fishnet hose.

What would you say to the person who dismisses all of this as an excess of vanity?

I really, really believe that we have to stop thinking of beauty as superficial because it's what makes us feel good. It gives you the confidence you need to exist in this world, and to survive. If anyone has any doubts about it, think of the days that you're sick and you never get out of your bathrobe and you look like hell — you feel like hell! But the times you get dressed up and look in the mirror and say, "My God! I look fantastic!" — it's such an up. I remember when I was sick and my aunt used to say, "Take a shower. Do your hair. Put makeup on." It does make a difference. I just think if you treat yourself better, you'll just feel so much better, competent and happier.

Source: Internet

10 Secrets About Men

10 Secrets About Men

Here's my take on what they and their sisters don't know about men.

1. You don't want to be judged for your looks; we don't want to be judged for our wallets. Unless we're ugly and have lots of money. Then it's OK.

2. You're not the only person who likes to be called "sexy."

3. Saying "I love you" is a major step in a man's life. That's why we wait for you to take that step first.

4. We are not being cheap when we make $35,000 a year and can't afford to pay every single date. We are merely being practical.

5. A guy who spends too much time in the gym is making up for something else that's lacking. Unfortunately, you can't figure out what it is until it's too late.

6. Don't get mad at us because we don't remember what you were wearing on our first date, or the angle of the light during our first kiss. We were probably drunk.

7. You're good in bed if you make us feel like stallions.

8. Jealousy isn't a sign that you love us more, it's a sign that you trust us less.

9. Hanging up on us is a surefire way to make sure we go to bed mad.

10. We're sorry. Whatever it is, we're sorry.

8 First Date Tips for Women

8 First Date Tips for Women

First dates are all about getting to the second date. Here's how to make him fall all over himself for a second date with youAs a love coach, I've heard the following question more times than I can remember:

"What happened? I'm so confused. At first, he seemed to really like me. He made reservations, picked me up, and took me to a fabulous restaurant. But for some reason, over the course of dinner, he became a little cold and distant. By the time he dropped me off, he seemed withdrawn and just sped off into the night. I haven't heard from him since! And I really liked him. I'm so bummed! What do you think happened?"

Does this sound familiar to you? If so, you may have broken some cardinal first-date rules without knowing it. Here are eight tips to ensure that a first date will turn into a second if you'd really like it to:

Tip 1. Don't be negative about dating. Why should a man pursue someone who isn't happy? It's ineffective manhandling to dump your dating disappointments on bachelor No. 3.
Talking to a man about how awful dating is just begs the question, "Are you in therapy?"
Talking to a man about how awful dating is just begs the question, "Are you in therapy?"
Manhandling Tip: Be a romantic challenge, not a mental health challenge.

Tip 2. Don't get tipsy. Always maintain enough sobriety to assess your date's character. Practice restraint, and don't have more than a drink or two when you're out on a first date. Otherwise, how in the world can you possibly observe him and decide if he's remotely right for you?
Manhandling Tip: Always stay sober enough to remember how naughty you were the night before!

Tip 3. Don't talk badly about your exes. I don't care if he cheated on you with your sister, don't recite a laundry list of grievances about your exes. This will only make you sound unavailable at best, or worse, wounded.
Reveal your secrets when you're both on a beach in Hawaii or, better yet, engaged!
Reveal your secrets when you're both on a beach in Hawaii or, better yet, engaged!
Manhandling Tip: We all have baggage. Keep it in the closet on first dates.

Tip 4. Don't spook your suitor. Now is not the time to point out your physical flaws. Only bring these complaints to people who can actually do something about them, and not to men who will now be forced to lie to you if they possess good manners.
Manhandling Tip: Confidence is sexy! Sometimes, thoughts are for the inside.

Tip 5. Don't talk about your personal pet peeves. Although your therapist might get butterflies inside when you talk about how traumatized you are by the staggering number of germs that thrive in public restrooms, the typical male will be horrified. You'll have violated the sacred air space of "romantic quality time" and these little monologues of strange pain will be as off-putting as if you started sorting unwashed laundry in a restaurant.
Manhandling Tip: You already know all about you. Keep your problems to yourself and get to know him.

Tip 6. Don't chase your date. Never deprive a man of the thrill of the chase. Besides, it's so much fun being caught! A woman can always initiate a first tea date, but after that, it's up to a man to decide whether he wants to pursue you. Entice men, play with them, and then release them! Allow men to initiate and take the lead in moving your relationship forward.
Manhandling Tip: When men chase you, they're much less likely to fly away.

Tip 7. Don't keep squawking. Don't feel pressured to try to fill up every second with meaningless chatter. If the conversation falls silent for a moment, don't panic, just let it happen. Natural pauses are sexy, and body language can be so much more powerful than words. Slowly smile at him and breathe. You may be surprised when he blurts out in the middle of a deliciously pregnant pause, "Come here and kiss me!"
Manhandling Tip: Remember, sometimes less conversation really is more.

Tip 8. Learn how to leave.
Anyone can be pleasant when they're enjoying themselves, but the true test of character is how one behaves when terribly bored
Anyone can be pleasant when they're enjoying themselves, but the true test of character is how one behaves when terribly bored, or worse, treated shabbily. There's nothing to be gained by suffering through a terrible date, so if you're having an awful time, depart quickly and gracefully, without being rude. When you're itching to leave, say: "Thank you so much for meeting me. I think it's time for me to go on home, Jerome. (Smile) Take care." Extend your hand for a quick shake, swiftly turn on your heel and depart.
Romantic Rule: If you're on date number one and aren't having fun, release men back into the wild immediately.

5 Steps to Disaster-Proof Your Dating

5 Steps to Disaster-Proof Your Dating

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If you want a dating life that's free from disaster, you need to invest in a little insurance. As hurricane victims know, it does no good to buy insurance after the storm has wreaked its damage. Here's how to get your own dating insurance package together:

1. Be ready. Some folks approach life as if they were jumping into a cold swimming pool: They squeeze their eyes shut, hold their nose and jump. Who knows if they know how to swim?
It's far better to go into dating with your eyes open and your senses sharp. Take some time and review your current situation. What needs attention? Your physical self? Your surroundings? Your fears? Taking care of yourself first will help ensure your future success in love.

2. Get a life.
Nothing is more unattractive than someone with nothing to offer.
Nothing is more unattractive than someone with nothing to offer. While having space in your life for a partner is important, too much space will seem overwhelming to another. It's not up to a future partner to give you the life you haven't made for yourself.
Get out and get active! One of the best strategies for getting invitations is to give them. Try entertaining. If the thought of throwing a party scares you more than dating, you can invite people to all kinds of events as your guest. (But you might as well get your domicile ready for visitors. Where do you expect to entertain a sweetie?)

3. Enhance your good luck.
Many singles are so discouraged about the process of finding love
Many singles are so discouraged about the process of finding love that they can't help but feel unlucky. And most folks feel that there is little they can do to influence Lady Luck.
But research has found that is not so. What you think and do has enormous effects on bringing you good -- or bad -- luck. Taking steps to increase your luck will help you find the best of the best. Listen to your lucky hunches. Maximize chance opportunities by varying your routine. Above all, expect good fortune in your life. What have you got to lose? More bad luck? For more suggestions, check out my Top 10 Ways to Get Lucky at Love.

4. Be prepared to tell the hard stuff. Often singles are so worried about how to tell bad news to a new partner that it gets in the way of doing any dating at all. We all have pasts, and none of us gets much beyond the age of 21 without accumulating a bit of baggage that we are not so proud of.
Part of getting ready to date is dealing with your truth and coming to terms with your life so far -- and what you have learned in the process. Tell the hard stuff now, before you are put on spot.

5. Toughen up. Do you want to avoid rejection entirely? Well, you'd better stay off dating sites, because rejection is the name of the game. Because you are jumping into a very large pool of potential candidates, you will be saying "no" to many perfectly nice people, and they will be saying (or acting) "no" to you. Saying and getting "no's" is part of getting to that big "YES!" If the no's are too much for you, you are in big trouble right now.

If you are still not sure of your ability to adequately insure yourself from dating failure, visit my Find a Sweetheart Store. You'll find at least one remedy there for every one of the issues I've written about here. Why not take advantage of my experience? I want you to get what you say you want: love!

3 Email Dating Secrets

3 Email Dating Secrets

You can boost your response rate if you remember to be original Of all the things that clients (especially men) ask me to help them with, the most common query involves assistance with writing introductory emails. And while I never write emails for others, the request makes perfect sense. After all, most people's profiles don't exactly give you a ton of material to work with, do they? So how do you cobble together something from a pile of nothing? Well, you can start by remembering these three basic rules:

Three basic rules
1. If someone else can say it, don't say it. Ask yourself if what you're writing sounds completely original. If not, the person you're contacting probably has 10 emails just like yours.

2. Cut to the chase. Don't waste time with a whole bunch of text that doesn't tell the recipient anything new. Look at this message:
Dear JB, I read your profile and thought it was really amazing. Plus, you're really cute. So please look at my profile and if you like what I had to say, write back to me when you get a chance. Yours, Evan

Every line of this message can be thrown out
Every line of this message can be thrown out. Why? Because anyone whom you contact knows by virtue of you writing to them that a) you liked their profile, b) you liked their photo and c) you'd like a reply.

3. Be flirty. Be confident. Be different. Keep in mind that YOU are the commodity here. Even though you're writing to someone out of the blue, do so with the belief that this person would be lucky to have you. If you're too complimentary in that initial email, you can come off as desperate and needy. So don't go overboard. Say a couple of funny, coy lines and get out. Your profile ultimately does the selling; your email just has to pique their interest.
How to separate yourself from the pack
Still, the question remains:

how do you say something original and flirty?
how do you say something original and flirty? That, my friends, is what separates the most successful online daters from the rest of the pack. Here are three steps to set you on the right path. In this case, I've written them for men replying to women, but the steps are applicable to everyone.

Step 1: Read her profile closely. Every word of it. Men who treat women as unique and interesting individuals stand a much greater shot of receiving a response. The thing is, even if she's interesting, she most likely wrote a whole bunch of cliches in her profile: "I'm nice, smart, kind, warm, funny, honest and family-oriented. I like hiking, biking, movies, music, travel. I'm looking for my best friend, lover and partner in crime for a lifetime of love and laughter." (Scary how easy it is to approximate the typical online dating profile, isn't it?) Obviously, there's not much to respond to here. So let's think outside the box, shall we?

Step 2: Find the most interesting tidbit in her profile. NOT the thing you like the most, NOT the thing you have in common. The most interesting tidbit in her profile is the thing that sounds like it couldn't have been written by anybody else in the world. It might be how she hates pigeons. It might be how she was once a foot model. It might be how she doesn't know how to program her TiVo. Whatever it is,
take her quirky tidbit and turn it into your pickup line
take her quirky tidbit and turn it into your pickup line.

Step 3: Take her factoid and apply it to yourself in a fictional fashion. The sillier and more over-the-top your email, the funnier it'll be. A good joke doesn't require an explanation - it's obviously a joke. For example, if you're writing to the foot model, you might say:
Once upon a time, I was a knee model. Great money, tons of fame, you know the deal ... Then I skinned my knee when rollerblading. I never modeled again. Let's drink to our fashion careers, Evan

Sure, it's a little goofy, but people actually respond to this stuff. Why? Because it's different, it's audacious and, in a strange way, it's kind of smart. Most importantly, it's confident. It's not an idle compliment or a generic, "Look what we have in common" line. It's a joke and, as we all know, people like people who make them laugh.

Wanna try again? Let's take the TiVo woman. Start your comment in the subject heading of the email, like this:

TiVo for Dummies
I can fix your computer, landscape your backyard and probably even hotwire your car, but, for some reason, TiVo programming seems to elude me as well. So if you're interested in watching the entire season of "When Animals Attack" ... in Spanish ... with subtitles ... I'm definitely your guy. Talk to you soon, Evan

High blood pressure and exercise: Why activity is key

High blood pressure and exercise: Why activity is key

High blood pressure and exercise are closely related. Learn how small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference.

The risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) increases with age. And like it or not, you get older every day. But you don't need to sit back and wait for high blood pressure to strike. Get moving! Regular exercise can help prevent high blood pressure, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. And if your blood pressure is already high, exercise can help you control it.

How exercise helps
How are high blood pressure and exercise connected? Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. And the less your heart has to work, the less force, or pressure, that's exerted on your arteries.

Becoming more active can lower your blood pressure by an average of 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). That's the same effect as some blood pressure medications. For some people, it's enough to reduce the need for blood pressure medication.

If your blood pressure is at a desirable level — less than 120/80 mm Hg — exercise can keep it from rising as you age. And there's more. Regular exercise also helps you maintain a healthy weight, another important way to control blood pressure.

The caveat? You need to keep it up. It takes about one to three months for regular exercise to have a stabilizing effect on blood pressure. The benefits last only as long as you continue to exercise.

What counts?
Flexibility and strengthening exercises are an important part of an overall fitness plan, but it takes aerobic activity to control high blood pressure. And you don't need to spend hours in the gym every day to benefit. Simply adding moderate physical activities to your daily routine will help.

Any physical activity that increases your heart and breathing rates is considered aerobic. Mowing the lawn, raking leaves or scrubbing the floor counts — as long as it takes effort. Other common forms of aerobic activity include climbing stairs, walking, jogging, bicycling and swimming.

Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity most days of the week. If you can't set aside that much time at once, remember that shorter bursts of activity count, too.
When you need your doctor's OK

Sometimes it's best to check with your doctor before you jump into an exercise program, especially if:

You're a man older than age 40 or a woman older than age 50

You smoke
You're overweight or obese

You have a chronic health condition, including high blood pressure or high cholesterol
You've had a heart attack
You have a family history of heart-related problems before age 55
You feel pain in your chest or become dizzy with exertion
You're unsure of your health status

If you take any medication regularly, ask your doctor if increased activity will make it work differently or change its side effects — or if the medication will affect the way your body reacts to exercise.

Keep it safe
To reduce the risk of injury while exercising, start slowly. Remember to warm up before you exercise and cool down afterward. Build up the intensity of your workouts gradually.

If you'd like to try strength training or other resistance exercises, make sure you have your doctor's OK. Some of these exercises may increase your blood pressure — especially if you hold your breath while contracting your muscles.

Stop exercising and seek immediate medical care if you experience any warning signs during exercise, including:

§ Chest pain or tightness
§ Dizziness or faintness
§ Pain in an arm or your jaw
§ Severe shortness of breath
§ An irregular heartbeat
§ Excessive fatigue

Monitor your progressThe only way to detect high blood pressure is to keep track of your blood pressure readings. Have your blood pressure checked at each doctor's visit. If you use a home blood pressure

Diabetes and exercise: Take control with physical activity

Diabetes and exercise: Take control with physical activity

Exercise is an important part of any diabetes treatment plan. Here's the connection between diabetes and exercise — as well as how to get started and how to stay on track.

Thinking about adding exercise to your diabetes treatment plan? Good for you! Diabetes and exercise go hand in hand. Regular physical activity can help you improve your blood sugar control, as well as boost your overall fitness and reduce your risk of heart disease and nerve damage.

Learn more about how exercise affects your diabetes. Assess possible limitations, and keep your blood sugar on track as you increase your activity level.

Buy into the hype
Besides boosting your mood and energy levels, exercise leads to:

 Improved blood sugar control. When you exercise, your muscles use sugar (glucose) for energy. This reduces your blood sugar. The more strenuous your workout, the longer the effect lasts. And there's more. If you have type 2 diabetes, exercise can increase your insulin sensitivity. That means your body requires less insulin to escort sugar into your cells. Along with a healthy-eating plan, exercise may even reduce — or eliminate — your need for glucose-lowering medication.

 Improved heart health. Diabetes increases your risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Exercise counteracts the risk by improving blood flow, increasing your heart's pumping power and improving your cholesterol levels.

 Improved weight control. Exercise can help you lose weight — and keep it off.
Get the green light Before jumping into a fitness program, get your doctor's OK to exercise — especially if you've been inactive. Discuss with your doctor which activities you're contemplating and any limitations you may have.

For example, if you have diabetic retinopathy — abnormal growth of blood vessels on your retina — strenuous activity could lead to bleeding or retinal detachment. You may need to avoid certain activities, such as weightlifting or jogging. If you have reduced sensation in your feet, your doctor may recommend non-weight-bearing activities, such as swimming or biking.
Also discuss with your doctor the best time to exercise. If you take insulin, you might need to adjust your insulin dose before exercising or wait a few hours to exercise after injecting insulin.

Exercise good judgment
When you're ready to exercise, start slowly. Work your way up to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week. While you're working out, remember to take good care of yourself.

 Monitor your blood sugar. Check your blood sugar before, during and after exercise — especially if you take insulin or medications that can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Carry glucose tablets or hard candy in case your blood sugar drops too low or you feel shaky, nervous or confused.

 Pay attention to your feet. Wear smooth-fitting socks and comfortable athletic shoes. Examine your feet before and after exercise for any signs of potential damage, such as cuts or blisters.

 Drink up. Drink plenty of fluids while you exercise, especially when it's hot. Dehydration can increase your blood sugar. If you exercise for more than an hour, drink carbohydrate-containing beverages rather than plain water.

 Identify yourself. Wear a diabetes identification bracelet or shoe tag while exercising, in case of an emergency.

 Know when to stop. If you experience any warning signs — severe shortness of breath, dizziness, faintness, nausea, chest pain, heart palpitations, or pain in an arm or in your jaw — stop exercising. If you don't feel better within 15 minutes, seek immediate medical help.


Keep your eye on the prize
Try not to get discouraged if exercise causes significant changes in your blood sugar and upsets your normal management routine. Continue to test your blood sugar frequently until you begin to notice a pattern and can adjust your meals and medications accordingly. Your health care team can help, too. Once you understand how your body responds to exercise, you'll be even closer to a healthier you.

Lower Your Electric Bill

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Electric bill got you down? Fight back with this energy – saving ideas

Keep your fridge and freezer full
Food acts as insulation and lessens the amount of time that the fridge has to run to stay cool.

Clear your refrigerator’s coil
When your refrigerator has dirty condenser coils it has to work harder to cool your foods. Perform maintenance once every three months to optimize its efficiency.

Don’t put uncovered foods/drinks in the refrigerator
Condensation makes the fridge work harder and costs you more money.

Allow foods to cool before putting them in the refrigerator
Placing hot foods in your fridge will increase the interior temperature and cause your refrigerator to work harder.

Only wash full loads
Your washing machine and dish washer use a lot of electricity. Minimise the drain by only washing full loads.

Wash laundry in cold water
90% of the energy consumed by your washing machine goes to heating water. Turn the dial to cold and skip the bill.

Clean your dryer lint trap
If you use a drying machine, remove the lint from your dryer trap after each load to maximize its efficiency. Then scrub it down with soapy water and a brush once every couple months to remove any additional lint trapped in the screen.

Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs
CFL light bulbs use four times less energy than incandescent bulbs. Switch out the most widely used bulbs in your home. Then replace the rest as they burn out.

Shield your home from the sun
Cut down on your air conditioning use by closing curtains and blinds on the sunny side of your home. For even more savings, consider installing tinted window film.

Schedule yearly AC maintenance
Increase the efficiency of your AC system by having it inspected and cleaned once a year. Added bonus: cleaner air in your home.

Install ceiling fan
Keeping the air circulating in your home reduces the amount of work your air conditioner has to do.

Landscape for shade
Plant trees to shade your home and your air conditioning won’t have to work as hard.


Eliminate phantom loads
A surprising 75% of the energy used by home electronics is consumed when they are turned off. These “phantom” users include: TVs, VCRs, Stereos, computers and many kitchen appliances. Look for anything with a digital clock. A simple solution? Plug all of these items in to power strips and then get in the habit of turning off the strips between uses.

Lower the temperature on your hot water heater
13% of your home electricity goes to heating water. You can lower this percentage by setting your hot water heater to 130 ~ 140 degrees. For even more savings, install an insulation jacket, and insulate the first six feet of piping that comes off of your heater.

Install low flow shower head
Less water flowing through your shower head means less water to heat.

Cook with the lids on
Foods cook faster with lids on because the heat can’t escape.

Source: Home Builder

DID I REALLY JUST WIN AN EMAIL LOTTERY OR SWEEPSTAKES?

I received an email from a [name removed, just in case] of London England stating I had won US$ in a sweepstake organized by Microsoft and AOL. In the email numerous words were misspelled. I was told to contact [name removed], Claims processing agent, [number removed], Courier Firm: [name removed]. This email mentioned a [name removed], Microsoft Promotion Team, Vice President. The one stipulation is the winner remits part of the winning fund to a charity organization. Is this email for real or just another fraud email?

Did I really just win an email lottery or sweepstakes?

Man, if every "you've won!" sweepstakes message I've received in the last year were true I'd be a very rich man. Heck, if even one of them were true, I'd be doing pretty well.
Short answer: it's fraud. Run away. Delete it. Ignore it. Don't ever be tempted.
That clears enough?

Let's examine just why that is and what some of the clues are.
I just checked my Junk Mail folder, and in the last week I've received at least a dozen or more "winning notifications" of various flavors. "Staatloterij" (Dutch for state lottery), "End of the year lottery promotion", "YOU HAVE WON!!!", and so on.

Every one of them is totally bogus.

And worse, they're actually scams to take your money, not give you any.
Let's look at some of the clues the show you just how bogus these emails are.
And for the record, these clues apply to 99% of the all spam you get as these are excellent indicators of scams and other bogus emails.

"It's fraud. Run away. Delete it. Ignore it. Don't ever be tempted."
It's email. Let's face it, if you really won a lottery, someone would more likely knock on your door (with lots of proper identification) or at least send you a certified/registered letter. Email is an unreliable notification mechanism at best and should never be used for something this important.

The email's not even addressed to you! This just gets me every time I see it. None of the messages that say I've won actually have my name in the "To:" line. None. In fact, none of them even mention me by name. You'd think that if I had in fact won some kind of lottery that my name would be known to the organization, and that they would actually use my name when they tried to tell me that I'd won. It doesn't get much more bogus than this.

English is clearly not their native tongue. You said it yourself, "numerous words were misspelled". Once again, a legitimate organization would simply not do that. Even if they were based in another country they would take the time to make sure that spelling and grammar were up to business correspondence standards.

They ask for money. This is the big tip-off in my book. In your case: "one stipulation is the winner remits part of the winning fund to a charity". Here's how it works: in most cases you'll have to actually send money before you "receive your winnings". It'll either be in the form of fees that they say must be paid up-front, or in your case I'm guessing that you'll need to make your charitable donation before you get your winnings. And those winnings? IF you get anything at all, there are several scams right now that actually send you a check that's so real-looking that it even fools your bank. Until it bounces a week later and your "winnings" are removed from your account, that is. All that after you've paid the up-front fees with your own real money.

They ask for your details. Lottery scams are another great venue for identity theft. "Winning the lottery" seems like a perfectly legitimate reason to be asked for lots of personal information like Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and the like. It's not. Do not divulge your personal information to anyone you don't absolutely positively trust. Ever.

The fact is that the old adage is very, very true: If it's too good to be true, then it's not.
Unfortunately the sad reality is that these schemes exist because enough people fall for them every day. Out of ignorance, greed, or desperation, people think that they've actually won and fall for the trap. The net result is that they don't win at all, they lose. They lose their money, their belongings, their identity, and more.

It's fraud. Run away. Delete it. Ignore it. Don't ever be tempted.
That clear enough?

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