RecipesPosted by Denise Sun, November 22, 2009 12:39:06S
moother Skin by Eating Fruits and Vegatables
Women's magazines frequently run stories on how to improve your skin using items from your kitchen.
But you might be better off eating that paste of crushed almonds, berries and yogurt than slathering it on your face, according to the results of a new study.
Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, studied the diets of more than 400 residents of Australia, Greece and Sweden, including both dark- and fair-skinned people.
All the subjects were septuagenarians or older.
They found that those who followed a diet comprised mostly of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and unsaturated fats had noticeably smoother skin than those who consumed a fat- and sugar-laden diet.
Dr. Mark L. Wahlqvist, lead researcher, speculates that the antioxidants in these foods, including vitamins A, C and E, help to protect the skin from environmental stress and damage.
More studies are needed, however, to determine how these foods aid the skin's natural defenses against sun damage.
Source: Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2001; 20, 71-80
Self defencePosted by Denise Sun, November 22, 2009 09:41:42Figures from the British Crime Survey show that a person is a victim of knife crime every 4 minutes, a statistic which does not seem to be slowing down. The scary truth is that we are all potential victims to attacks, be it knife orientated or otherwise so the need for education on how we can protect or defend ourselves against such attacks has never been greater.
Statistics collated by the US state department and the British Home office show quite clearly that women who fight back and resist a violent and personal attack have more chance of survival than those who submit meekly. Also women who resist are less likely to receive excessive and gratuitous violence.
Married father of 5 and grandfather to 8 children, Robin Horsfall is a real life Action Man with an impressive career path, ranging from SAS, Para, mercenary, sniper to bodyguard. Robin is Director of London Karate, one of the fastest growing Karate groups in the UK with a current membership of over 700 students, which teaches all people, young to old, skills to develop integrity, character and self discipline. Here, the 49 year old SAS hero who famously shot and killed a terrorist commander inside the Iranian Embassy provides some potentially life-saving top tips on self defence.
* The easiest way to survive is to run, scream and get help, or to give the attacker your belongings (Purse, jewellery, car, etc). Always do these things first. Sadly there are times when these options do not exist. She may be protecting a child or the first thing she knows is that she is being attacked.
* When physically attacked to the point where a woman fears for her life or personal safety, she must always fight back with the intention of incapacitating the attacker sufficiently to make good her escape. Half hearted attacks don't work.
* Put your own safety first do not worry about injuring an attacker, you need to allow your fear to generate aggression and to turn into a vicious and violent creature for a few seconds. Use any item at your disposal to injure your attacker. It is illegal to carry any item for the sole purpose of using it to defend yourself. However it is not illegal to utilise an everyday item such as your car keys to fight off an attacker.
* Use your teeth, finger nails, knees, forehead, back of head and elbows to bite, gouge, tear, rake and bruise an attacker. Strike at the attackers weakest and most vulnerable points: The eyes, the throat and the groin.
Robin recalls two of the women he has taught who called to thank him because of his advice. They remembered a technique Robin named "monkey kung fu". They simply picked up every item available and threw them at the attacker until he ran away. Both were in their own homes and both survived without physical injury.
http://www.securitypark.co.uk/security_article262045.html
Fitness and HealthPosted by Denise Sun, November 22, 2009 09:34:20"You can't do that!" "That's way too difficult!" "If you try, you'll probably just fail anyway." These statements sound as if they're coming from a tyrannical and cruel person with a mission to destroy self-confidence. Unfortunately, all too often, we can be the tyrant and our target can be our self.
Negative self-talk is something we have all probably engaged in at some time. When it rears its ugly head on a regular basis it, it can lead to self-sabotage, and can stop us achieving our goals and dreams.
What's worse is that we usually don't recognize that it's even happening. Instead, we attribute our lack of success to inadequacy. This, in turn, strengthens the negative messages we feed ourselves, and we get caught in a self-sabotaging cycle that can be very difficult to break.
The tell-tale sign that you are sabotaging your self is when you grind to a halt when you're trying to achieve your goals, for no rational reason. The skill, ability and desire are there: It's just that something stops you moving forward.
When you feel that you can't do something you should be able to do, or that you shouldn't do something, even though you know deep down that you want or need to do it, self-sabotage is at work.
Firstly you need to get rid of the nay sayers and get support for a network of like minded people! Stay positive and use creative visualisation.
Do not be scared of success! Embrace it!! What ever your goal is!
Be your best self!!
You are worthy!!
You are in control!!
Stop the self doubting and reach your goal!
sources for sabotagebehaviour
Self defencePosted by Denise Thu, November 19, 2009 09:21:13Which Martial Arts or Instructors to you think is the best??
For me it has to be Rupert Parks!! He rocks!!
Anything else!!Posted by Denise Thu, November 19, 2009 09:18:25Who is in your vampire top ten??
Fitness and HealthPosted by Denise Thu, November 19, 2009 09:10:56Here is a quick test devised by Jillian Michaels the trainer from 'The Biggest Loser
Im a slow oxidizer
In the morning, you
A. Don’t eat breakfast
B. Have something light like fruit, toast, or cereal
C. Have something heavy like eggs, bacon or steak, and has browns
At a buffet, the foods you choose are
A. Light meats like fish and chicken, vegetables and salad, a sampling of different desserts.
B. A mixture of A and C
C. Heavy, fatty foods like steak, ribs, pork chops, cheeses, and cream sauces
Your appetite at lunch is
A. Low
B. Normal
C. Strong
Your appetite at dinner is
A. low
B. normal
C. strong
Caffeine makes you feel
A. Great-it helps you focus
B. Neutral-you can take it or leave it
C. Jittery or nauseous
The types of foods you crave are (sugar is not listed because everyone craves sugar when they are tired or run-down)
A. Fruits, bread, and crackers
B. Both A and C
C. Salty foods, cheeses, and meats
For dinner you prefer
A. Chicken or fish, salad, and rice
B. No preference-choice varies daily
C. Heavier, fatty foods like pastas, steak and potatoes
After dinner you
A. Need to have something sweet
B. Could take dessert or leave it
C. Don’t care for sweets and would rather have something salty like popcorn
The types of sweets you like are
A. Sugary candies
B. No preference
C. Ice cream or cheesecake
Eating fatty foods like meat and cheese before bed
A. Interferes with your sleep
B. Doesn’t bother you
C. Improves your sleep
Eating carbs like breads and crackers before your bed
A. Interferes with your sleep, but they’re better than heavier foods
B. Doesn’t affect you
C. Is better than nothing, but you sleep better with heavier foods
Eating sweets before bed
A. Doesn’t keep you from sleeping at all
B. Sometimes makes you feel restless in bed
C. Keeps you up all night
Each day, you eat
A. Two or three meals with no snacks
B. Three meals with maybe one light snack
C. Three meals and a lot of snacks
Your attitude toward food is
A. You often forget to eat
B. You enjoy food and rarely miss a meal
C. You love food and it’s a central part of your life
When you skip meals, you feel
A. Fine
B. You don’t function at your best, but it doesn’t really bother you
C. Shaky, irritable, week and tired
Your attitude toward fatty foods is
A. You don’t like them
B. You like them occasionally
C. You crave them regularly
When you eat fruit salad for breakfast or lunch, you feel
A. Satisfied
B. Okay, but you usually need a snack in between meals
C. Unsatisfied and still hungry
What kind of food drains your energy?
A. Fatty foods
B. No food affects you this way
C. Fruit, candy, or confections, which give you a quick boost, then an energy crash
Your food portions are
A. Small-less than average
B. Average-not more or less than other people
C. Large-usually more than most people
How do you feel about potatoes?
A. You don’t care for them
B. You could take them or leave them
C. You love them
Red meat makes you feel
A. Tired
B. No particular feeling one way or the other
C. Strong
A salad for lunch makes you feel
A. Energized and healthy
B. Fine, but it isn’t the best type of food for you.
C. Sleepy
How do you feel about salt?
A. Foods often taste too salty
B. You don’t notice one way or the other
C. You crave salt and salt your food regularly
How do you feel about snacks?
A. You don’t really snack, but you like something sweet if you do.
B. You can snack on anything
C. You need snacks but prefer meats, cheese, eggs, or nuts.
How do you feel about sour foods like pickles, lemon juice, or vinegar?
A. You don’t like them
B. They don’t bother you one way or the other
C. You like them
How do you feel about sweets?
A. Sweets alone can satisfy your appetite
B. They don’t bother you but don’t totally satisfy you
C. You don’t feel satisfied and often crave more sweets
When you just eat meat (bacon, sausage, ham ) for breakfast, you feel
A. Sleepy, lethargic, or irritable
B. It varies day to day
C. Full until lunch
When you eat heavy or fatty foods, you feel
A. Irritable
B. Neutral-they don’t affect you
C. Satisfied
When you feel anxious
A. Fruits or vegetables calm you down
B. Eating anything calms you down
C. Fatty foods calm you down
You concentrate best when you eat
A. Fruits and grains
B. Nothing in particular
C. Meat and fatty food
You feel more depressed when you eat
A. Fatty or heavy foods
B. Nothing in particular
C. Fruits, breads, or sweets
You notice you gain weight when you eat
A. Fatty foods
B. No particular food. You gain weight when you overeat
C. Fruits or carbs
What type of insomnia, if any, applies to you?
A. You rarely get insomnia from hunger
B. You rarely get insomnia, but if you do, you often need to eat something in order to fall back asleep
C. You often wake up during the night and need to eat. If you eat right before bed, it alleviates the insomnia
Your personality type is
A. Aloof, withdrawn, or introverted
B. Neither introverted nor extroverted
C. Extroverted
Your mental and physical stamina are better when you eat
A. Light proteins like egg whites, chicken or fish and fruits
B. Any wholesome food
C. Fatty foods
Your climate preference is
A. Warm or hot weather
B. Doesn’t matter
C. Cold weather
You have problems with coughing or chest pressure.
If yes, “C”: if no, move on to the next question
You have a tendency to get cracked skin or dandruff
If yes, “C”:if no, move on to the next question
You have a tendency to get light-headed or dizzy
If yes, “C”: if no, move on to the next question
You eyes tend to be
A. Dry
B. Fine
C. Teary
Your facial coloring is
A. Noticeably pale
B. Average
C. Pink or often flushed
Your fingernails are
A. Thick
B. Average
C. Thin
Your gag reflex is
A. Insensitive
B. Normal
C. Sensitive
You get goose bumps
A. Often
B. Occasionally
C. Very rarely
You are prone to
A. Constipation
B. No stomach problems
C. Diarrhea
When insects bite you, your reaction is
A. Mild
B. Average
C. Strong
Your body type is
A. Short and Stocky
B. Average
C. Tall and thin
Your nose is
A. Dry
B. Normal
C. Runny
Scoring your metabolic typing test
When you have finished the test, add up the number of A, B and C answers you have circled A____B____C____
If your number of C answers is 5 or more higher than your number of A or B answers, you are a fast oxidizer.
If your number of A answers is 5 or more higher than your number of B or C answers, you are a slow oxidizer.
If your number of B answers is 5 or more higher than your number of A or C answers, or if neither A, B, nor C’s are 5 or more higher than the other two, you are a balanced oxidizer.
If you are still not certain, you can try these two other drastic tests.
1. Niacin test: Take 50 milligrams of niacin on an empty stomach. If you experience and immediate flush, you are most likely a fast oxidizer. If you feel a moderate flushing effect, you are a balanced oxidizer. If you experience a significantly delayed flushing or nothing at all, you are a slow oxidizer.
2. Vitamin C test: Take 8 grams of vitamin C in equally divided doses over 8 hours. The fast oxidizer will respond by feeling acidic and uncomfortable, and may even experience other symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea or increased intestinal gas. A true balanced oxidizer may find that his or her stomach feels less acidic. A slow oxidizer will have no response at all.
*Fast oxidizers
You require foods with higher percentages of protein and fat than carbohydrates. Make sure there is protein in everything you eat including snacks. Your ideal macronutrient ratio is 20 percent carbs, 50 percent protein, 30 percent fat.
All proteins are not created equal. The ones that are best for you are high-purine proteins, which are commonly found in fattier meats. This is not to say that you should cut out chicken and fish, but you need the heavier proteins most because they help slow down your rate of oxidation. Choose from this list of proteins when deciding on a meal or snack.
High purine:organ meats (pate, liver, etc.), herring, mussels, sardines, anchovies.
Moderate purine:beef, bacon, dark meat chicken, duck, lamb, spareribs, dark meat turkey, veal, wild game, salmon, shellfish (lobster, shrimp, crab), oysters, scallops, octopus, squid, dark tuna
Low Purine:cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, eggs, cheese, white meat chicken, turkey, fish
The best veggies for protein types are asparagus, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms and spinach
The best fruits are avocado, olives, apples and pears(in limited quantity and never without protein on the side or better yet first)
It is best to avoid grains altogether, but the best grains would be sprouted grain bread.
The best legumes would be tempeh and tofu.
The best nuts are (in order of protein content) walnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, filberts, pecans, chestnuts, pistachios, coconut and macadamias.
Good fats are butter, cream, almond oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, flaxseed oil, sunflower oil and walnut oil.
*Slow oxidizers
Your ideal macronutrient ratio is 60 percent carbs, 25 percent protein and 15 percent fat.
*Balanced oxidizers
Your ideal macronutrient ratio is 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat.
