There is somewhat shocking report on obesity: Researchers have found that people who are overweight and obese are actually losing brain tissue and have brains that are aged prematurely!
"The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than their healthy counterparts while [those of] overweight people looked 8 years older," says UCLA neuroscientist Paul Thompson, senior author of a study published online in Human Brain Mapping. The study also found that clinically obese people had 8% less brain tissue than those considered to be in the 'normal' weight range, and overweight people had 4% less brain tissue than those who were not overweight. Because roughly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese (36% and 30% respectively), this may be a widespread problem.
Consuming a healthy diet is generally agreed to be the most important factor in maintaining a healthy weight, with exercise also playing an important role. Eating a healthy balance of fresh fruits and vegetables, with lean meats and whole grains, all in moderate portions, is key. Most of us know this. However, many of us lose sight of this when stressed and busy. Why is that?
Perhaps it's because stress can make us crave sweets and less-healthy fare. And People consumes more chocolate/ sweets in a stressful day!Or perhaps it's because, when we get too stressed and busy, we may settle for convenience food rather than cooking healthier meals. Or perhaps it's because we eat to feel better, or to fill a void we feel inside. If any of these are sounding familiar to you, you're not alone; stress can affect weight in several ways.
So it is recommended to eat healthier when stressed, and stay fit in other ways as well. It is improtant to know that exercise is a great stress reliever.
Rather than letting fear and anxiety restrict your life choices and leave you in a rut, experts say you can look at a midlife crisis as an opportunity for personal growth. Linda Sapadin, author of Master Your Fears: How to Triumph over Your Worries and Get on with Your Life, recommends these steps for using a midlife crisis to your advantage:
1) Do one gutsy thing. Do something despite feeling uncomfortable or fearful about it. "That's one way to move outside of your comfort zone, rather than be depressed, anxious, or dissatisfied, which is the essence of a midlife crisis," says Sapadin.
2) Use children as role models. Most people are ashamed to admit they're jealous of their kids. But you could look to them as role models during this time. If they're not afraid to take a risk or do something, you may be able to learn from them and become more socially and physically active.
3) Delight in difficulty. Reframe how you think about difficulty. Rather than thinking of something difficult as exhausting or that you can't do it, think of it as an opportunity to pick up skills you never thought you'd have, such as taking up a new sport or hobby. You can do it as an individual, couple, or as a family.
"When people at midlife stop worrying so much about pleasing others and measuring themselves by other peoples' standards, then they begin to think more about what they want, and that is a positive aspect of a midlife crisis," says Sapadin.
Stain removal is one of the most crucial parts of handling your family's laundry. These 10 rules are basic for any type of stain removal.
Timing Take care of stains as soon as possible. Fresh stains are much easier to remove than those over 24 hours old.
First things first Blot up any excess stain liquid with a clean white cloth or paper towel. Avoid rubbing the stained area with a linty terry towel or a dark-colored cloth. You may make matters worse. Remove excess solids by gently scraping with a dull knife or metal spatula. With some solids, such as mud, removal may be easier after the stain has dried. Brush off the excess before the garment is submerged for washing.
Check before washing If you do the laundry for the whole family, they may not have told you about a stain. Teach your family to tell you about stains or mark them with a clothespin. Always check before washing, many stains need pretreatment.
No soap Never rub a fresh stain with bar soap which sets many stains. Check before washing If you do the laundry for the whole family, they may not have told you about a stain. Teach your family to tell you about stains or mark them with a clothespin. Always check before washing, many stains need pretreatment.
Check again Stains slip by us all. But it helps to inspect wet laundry before drying. If a stain is still evident, do not dryer dry. The heat of the dryer makes the stain more permanent. Same principle applies to ironing - no heat should be added to stained areas.
This is only a test Before starting on the stain, test the stain removal agents on a seam or hidden area of the garment to be sure they do not affect the color or finish of the fabric.
A gentle touch Avoid excessive rubbing unless the fabric is tough and durable. Rubbing can spread the stain and damage the fabric. However, gentle to vigorous rubbing under running water helps remove dried food, blood or oil stains from shirts or jean-weight fabrics made of cotton or cotton blends.
Separate and conquer Wash heavily stained items separately. Soil and stains can be redeposited on cleaner clothing during laundering if too little detergent is used, water temperature is too low, washing time is too long or the wash is overloaded. Never wash family clothes with pesticide-soiled clothes.
Go for the cold Avoid using hot water on stains of unknown origin. Hot water can set protein stains like milk, egg or blood.
Except sometimes Use the water temperature recommended on stain removal products and detergents. Hot water should be between 120 and 140 degrees F, warm water between 85 and 105 degrees F and cold water between 65 and 75 degrees F. Water below 60 degrees is too cold for detergents to be helpful.
By Mary Marlowe Leverette, About.com
Remember a stain on you cloth or character leaks your self esteem.
It's no secret that the unhealthy American diet is contributing to an epidemic of obesity. But there's another hidden epidemic that our fatty diets are at the root of: a national sex crisis.
In 1996, the average American had sex 138 times a year. Compare that to 2007, when people reported having sex just 85 times a year. That's a staggering 38 percent decrease in a little more than a decade. Furthermore, psychologists estimate that as many as 1 in 5 couples are in a sexless marriage, which means sex less than 10 times a year. In other words, our sex drive is in a deep dive.
One of the big culprits, for both men and women, is obesity. As a person's weight soars, their libido plummets due to biochemical changes that result in diminished blood flow—there's simply no sex without strong blood flow. And even when Americans do manage to have sex, the extra weight they're bringing to the bedroom also hinders their ability to have children—with men, it's damaged sperm; with women, it's ovulation problems.
The good news: With some simple changes to your diet, courtesy of Eat This, Not That!, you can revitalize your sex life and reinvigorate your relationship. How? First, as you consume filling foods with fewer calories, you'll begin to shed the weight that's dragging down your desire. Then, because these foods also contain ingredients and nutrients that strategically boost sexual attraction and performance, you'll squeeze even more satisfaction out of each and every sexual encounter.
* Reinvigorate: Impart vigour, strength, or vitality to.
For the hormone rush
Eat This: Dark chocolate
Per 1 oz:A unit of weight equal to one sixteenth of a pound or 16 drams or 28.349 grams
1 pound= 453.584 gram
162 calories
11 g fat (6 g saturated)
10 g sugars
Chocolate is full of anandamide and phenylethylamine, two compounds that cause the body to release the same feel-good endorphins triggered by sex and physical exertion. Cocoa also contains methylxanthines, which make skin sensitive to every erotic touch. A team of U.S. and Canadian researchers found that chocolate stimulates the same brain centers that respond to cocaine, but that eating too much can eliminate the effect. Aim for dark chocolate, which packs more cocoa than lighter milk chocolates, and keep portions small.
Not That: White Chocolate
White chocolate isn’t technically chocolate, since it doesn’t contain any actual cocoa—which means no heightened skin sensitivity, or rush of feel-good hormone serotonin.
For energy
Eat This: 6-oz. sirloin steak
414 calories
24 g fat (10 g saturated)
46 g protein
Protein has been shown to naturally boost levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, two chemicals in the brain that heighten sensitivity during sex. Your steak is also packed with zinc—a mineral that boosts libido by reducing production of a hormone called prolactin, which may interfere with arousal.
Not That: An energy drink
While the caffeine and sky-high sugar content will initially leave you bursting with energy, you’re setting yourself up for a major crash not far down the line. Additionally, Canadian scientists found that maintaining a diet high in sugar can temporarily lower your testosterone levels, which in turn can sap your sex drive—whether you’re a man or a woman. See, the more testosterone you have, the higher your arousal levels. That means greater lubrication for women, stronger erections for men. Too much sugar sends your T/ testosterone into hibernation—and your libido will go with it.
For excitement
Eat This: Chilies
Per 1 pepper
18 calories
0 g fat
1 g fiber
Pop a caliente chili pepper in your mouth to keep things hot: They contain capsaicin, a chemical compound that causes your heart to race and your skin to flush—a sure sign that blood flow is on the fast track. They dilate blood vessels and help all of that blood get where it's needed.
Not That: Non-fat popcorn
The carbohydrates in popcorn will release serotonin, which, while it makes you feel good, also makes you feel sleepy. You want to experience a rush of endorphins, not drowsiness.
For power
Eat This: Vanilla ice cream
Per half cup:
137 calories
7 g fat (4 g saturated)
14 g sugars
2 g protein
Ice cream has high levels of calcium and phosphorus, two minerals that build your muscles’ energy reserves and may help boost your libido. All that calcium—200 milligrams in the typical bowl—can also make you more sexually charged, since the muscles that control sexual response need calcium in order to contract properly.
Not That: Tomatoes
They’re great for you in other ways, but tomatoes’ lycopene and phytofluene can decrease testosterone levels. The effect isn’t dramatic, but you may be better off skipping the marinara sauce if you want to get saucy.
For performance
Eat This: Blueberries
Per 1/2 cup of berries:
40 calories
10 g carbohydrates
7 g sugars
Forget Viagra. Mother Nature's original blue potency capsules may do even more for you. Blueberries are high in soluble fiber, which helps remove excess cholesterol from the blood before it gets absorbed and deposited on artery walls. Blueberries also relax blood vessels and improve blood flow. What that means, of course, is that more blood enters the penis to produce stronger erections. For maximum potency and performance, eat a serving of blueberries at least three or four times a week.
Not That: Soda
Soda pop will weaken your sex drive. Too much sugar will lead to spikes and crashes in your blood glucose, ultimately weakening your testosterone levels (and your sex drive).
For a sexy mindset
Eat This: Oysters
Per 6 medium oysters:
50 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
150 mg sodium
4 g protein
These slippery shellfish have been shucked in the name of love for centuries, but it wasn’t until 2005 that a team of researchers identified two amino acids in shellfish that had been linked in another study to increased sexual hormone release in rats. If that’s not a tenuous enough link to love, consider that oysters are also high in zinc, which regulates some sexual hormones and boost semen production. Critics question just how potent the shellfish really are, but the history of shellfish as a heralded aphrodisiac could contribute to a small psychosomatic boost.
* Shuck: Remove from the shell; withdrew.
Not That:
Phallic foods
Suggestive staples—bananas, avocados, strawberries—can prompt provocative thoughts, but so far no scientific research has shown them to offer any physical benefits.
For relaxation
Drink This: A glass of wine
Per 5 fl. ounces:
125 calories
0 g fat
1 g sugar
It’s true: A glass of wine really does take the edge off. University of Toronto researchers discovered that one alcoholic drink caused people’s blood vessels to relax. Booze acts as a depressant in the brain’s cerebral cortex, lowering inhibitions that could otherwise restrain arousal. Cerebral cortex main function is to inhibit the emotional functions. So when the function of the cerebral cortex is inhibited there is much more emotional release or sexual arousal.
Not That: A bottle of wine
The University of Toronto researchers who found out about wine’s relaxation effects also found that drinking two glasses of alcohol began to reverse the effects. And research from the University of Washington found that intoxicated men with blood alcohol levels of 0.08 to 0.1 percent (about two or three drinks) had lower “peak erection levels.”
By : Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Men's Health
The study of aging - gerontology - is a relatively new science that has made incredible progress over the last 30 years. In the past, scientists looked for a single theory that explained aging. There are two main groups of aging theories. The first group states that aging is natural and programmed into the body, while the second group of aging theories say that aging is a result of damage which is accumulated over time. In the end, aging is a complex interaction of genetics, chemistry, physiology and behavior i.e. behaviour disposed programming of neural and genetics circuit.
By understanding and describing how we age, researchers have developed several different theories of aging. The two categories are: programmed theories and error theories.
Programmed Theories assert that the human body is designed to age and there is a certain biological timeline that our bodies follow ( and after it there is gradual depletion of body mechanism).
• Programmed Longevity: Aging is caused by certain genes switching on and off over time.
• Endocrine Theory: Changes in hormones control aging.
• Immunological Theory: The immune system is programmed to decline over time, leaving people more susceptible to diseases.
Error Theories assert that aging is caused by environmental damage to our body's systems, which accumulates over time.
• Wear and Tear: Cells and tissues simply wear out.
• Rates of Living: The faster an organism uses oxygen, the shorter it lives. Our respiration rate is about 12-15 times per minute and that of organism as turtles have about 4/ minutes. Certainly turtles live longer than human.
• Cross-Linking: Cross-linked proteins accumulate and slow down body processes.
• Free Radicals: Free radicals cause damage to cells that eventually impairs function.
• Somatic DNA Damage: Genetic mutations cause cells to malfunction.
Genetics and Aging
Studies have demonstrated that genetics can play a major role in aging. When researchers adjust the genes in certain mice, yeast cells and other organisms, they can almost double the lifespan of these creatures. The meaning of these experiments for people is not known, but researchers think that genetics account for up to 35 percent of the variation in aging among people. Some key concepts in genetics and aging include:
• Longevity Genes: There are specific genes which help a person live longer.
• Cell Senescence (ageing): The process by which cells deteriorate over time.
• Telomeres: Structures on the end of DNA that eventually are depleted, resulting in cells ceasing to replicate.
• Stem Cells: These cells can become any type of cell in the body and hold promise to repair damage caused by aging. In recent researches, placental contents have been found high quality stem cells.
Biochemistry
No matter what genes you have inherited, your body is continually undergoing complex biochemical reactions. Some of these reactions cause damage and, ultimately, aging in the body. Studying these complex reactions is helping researchers understand how the body changes as it ages. Important concepts in the biochemistry of aging include:
• Free Radicals: Unstable oxygen molecules which can damage cells.
• Protein Cross-Linking: Excess sugars in the blood stream can cause protein molecules to literally stick together. Alcoholic product release OH- radicals which decreases the viability of the blood.
• DNA Repair: For unknown reasons, the systems in the body to repair DNA seem to become less effective in older people.
• Heat Shock Proteins: These proteins help cells survive stress and are present in fewer numbers in older people.
• Hormones: The body's hormones change as we age, causing many shifts in organ systems and other functions.
Body Systems
As we age, our body's organs and other systems make changes. These changes alter our susceptibility to various diseases and infections. Researchers are just beginning to understand the processes that cause changes over time in our body systems. Understanding these processes is important because many of the effects of aging are first noticed in our body systems. Here is a brief overview of how some body systems age:
• Heart Aging: The heart muscle thickens with age as a response to the thickening of the arteries. This thicker heart has a lower maximum pumping rate.
• Immune System Aging: T cells take longer to refill in older people and their ability to function declines.
• Arteries and Aging: Arteries usually to stiffen with age, making it more difficult for the heart to pump blood through them.
• Lung Aging: The maximum capacity of the lungs may decrease as much as 40 percent between ages 20 and 70.
• Brain Aging: As the brain ages, some of the connections between neurons seem to be reduced or less efficient. This is not yet well understood. Actually conditioning of some behaviour as a result of learning and rehearsing increases the chances of the axon and dendrite connections. This eventually increase the efficiency of brain.
• Kidney Aging: The kidneys become less efficient at cleaning waste from the body.
• Bladder Aging: The total capacity of the bladder declines and tissues may atrophy, causing incontinence (Involuntary urination or defecation).
• Body Fat and Aging: Body fat increases until middle age and then weight typically begins to decrease. The body fat also moves deeper in the body as we age.
• Muscle Aging: Muscle tone declines about 22 percent by age 70, though exercise can slow this decline.
• Bone Aging: Starting at age 35, our bones begin to lose density. Walking, running and resistance training can slow this process.
• Sight and Aging: Starting in the 40s, difficulty seeing close detail may begin.
• Hearing and Aging: As people age, the ability to hear high frequencies declines.
Behavioral Factors
The good news is that many of these causes of aging can be modified through your behaviors:
• By eating foods loaded with antioxidants, you can minimize damage caused by free radicals.
• By exercising, you can limit bone and muscle loss.
• By keeping your cholesterol low, you can slow the hardening of your arteries and protect your heart.
• By practicing mental fitness, you can keep your brain sharp.
Lifestyle factors have also been shown to extend life. Rats and mice on a calorie restricted diet (30 percent fewer daily calories) live up to 40 percent longer. Positive thinking has also been shown to extend life in people by up to 7.5 years.
Klub Psychology, popularly known as Klub, is our collective dream. Our motto is “With strength, intellect, patience and dedication, Youth and Karma for a change in psychosocial services.”
We laid its foundation stone on 28th Paush 2064 B.S./ January 2008 with expertise from different faculties of Human Science in order to address all level of mental health. At present, Klub is a self sustained social organization. We aspire to make it “A Hammer against all psychosocial problems.” Sure Klub in near future would be an “ultimate junction of clients and professionals for the common purpose of navigating their psyche.”
Mission: The mission of our Klub is to provide and address all level of mental health services. Klub is aligned to create a distinction in the services provided through the production of different experts via the establishment of mental health and allied academic institutions. We hope, we would be able to create a mecca of mental health services. We have embarked on this tough and long journey. We are for sure there will be your encouragement, support and guidance.
Goals: Our goal is to create a milieu for psychosocial services. In a developing country like Nepal, what we believe is a loss of national economy, is millions of fund invested in health sectors and importing medicine and medical facilities. Our programs, approaches integrate and intercept the vary theme that if we are able to save this lost economy, we may be able to utilize it for food, education, building better homes and building a better country- a common man’s dreams. It is through psychological awareness about the nature of problem and probable solutions that we can achieve this goal.
Commitments: We are committed towards providing quality psychosocial services which is our motto too. You will feel and observe innovative changes in psychosocial services. Klub always provides a conducive environment and impart knowledge, you would realize. We don’t only intent to commercialize our psychosocial services and sell tickets. We give an equal opportunity for the learning, exploring, developing expertise and leadership about the range of psychosocial services provided by the Klub so that our clients are able to carry these range of skills further on their own. We hope to create self-sufficient clients. We offer: At present we render you with Capsule Therapy that incorporates innovated forms of Dance Therapy, Music therapy, Colour & Art therapy and Counselling. We also provide Individual Counselling, Group Counselling; Relaxation Techniques with our own designated name and approaches. In few months time we would organize Psychiatric Clinic, Meditation, Yoga and Ayurvedic Clinics; Mobile Mental Health Camp. There are lots of other programs ahead for you to explore and participate. Our group of expertise and dedicated members of the Klub has an inclusion of psychologist, psychotherapist, medical technician, academician, musicians, artists, social workers, administrators, consultant, lawyer, expert of security agencies, engineer, etc.
Your participation is what we hope.
Healthy suggestions and constructive encouragement is a must Capsule for the Klub and KPians. We still have many rooms left for improvements and to implement your creative critiques and innovative ideas.
