Be Fun, Have Fun, and Stay Young

Feel like your life has done a number on your fun factor? You're not alone. Deadlines, bills, and 
 crazy-busy schedules keep most of us from cutting loose and getting silly. All work and no play isn't just dull. It negates something that's hardwired into the human psyche, say "play experts." So we're giving you an assignment: Carve out some time for playtime. Find something that makes you feel like you're floating free, happy, and totally absorbed in your own play land.
Here are some ways that a busy grown-up can cut loose, play, and even learn something new along the way.
 Find your inner artist. Haul out your water-color set, old sewing machine, or woodworking tools. Feeling musical? Dust off your old clarinet, take a guitar class, or join a band. As long as you're having a good time with no high-pressure expectations, it's play.
 Flex your green thumb. Gardening doesn't just produce beautiful flowers and produce, it can also be a relaxing way to get your daily dose of exercise in a stress-free way. Once the ground thaws, make a pact to plan and plant a plot this year.
 Turn your workout into play. Haven't found a physical activity that you dig? Don't give up. Be brave in your search. Consider outside-the box activities, such as roller skating, salsa, or hula hoop, or join a sports league at work or in your community. Kickball, anyone?

Learn a new language. The ability to chat in Thai, Greek, or Arabic is good for more than ordering coffee abroad. Learning a new language as an adult or picking up where 10th grade Spanish left off exercises your brain cells in ways that guard against memory loss and fuzzy thinking.
 Tapping into your spontaneous, inner-child packs big benefits for your health, mood, mind, and job, as well as relationships.
 A recent study shows it eases job strain, connects you with others, and makes you laugh. So what are you waiting for? It's fun time!
By RealAge

5Food for fight flu

Cold and flu season is here, but that doesn't mean you have to stock up on tissues and wait for symptoms to make you miserable. To keep fever, sneezing, runny nose, and other gnarly symptoms at bay, just do your daily 30-minute walk and chow down on these five foods to give your immune system a hefty boost.

1. Use the power of healthful protein. One of protein's many jobs is pumping up your ability to make disease-busting antibodies. Just steer clear of fatty red meats and full-fat dairy foods (they promote heart-hazardous inflammation). Pick up healthy-fat, high-protein foods, such as nonfat dairy, skinless white-meat chicken, ground turkey breast, tofu, fish, nuts, and beans.
2. Load up on colorful eats. Oranges, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, kiwifruit . . . all are loaded with vitamin C and flavonoids, which help your body churn out protective immune cells. 
3. Sip hot tea. People who drink 5 cups (about 3 mugs) of black tea daily produce 10 times more virus-fighting interferon than coffee drinkers.
4. Eat 100% whole-grain cereals. Oatmeal, shredded wheat, and other whole-grain cereals deliver three nutrients proved to enhance immunity: selenium, zinc, and beta glucan..
5. Spice up your chicken soup. If you catch something anyway, chicken soup shortens its duration by 50%. One theory about why (there are many): Cooked chicken releases cysteine, an amino acid that's chemically similar to acetylcysteine, a bronchitis drug. Up the soup's knockout punch to cold and flu bugs by tossing in infection-fighting garlic and hot red pepper, which contains capsaicin, a powerful decongestant.

Simple Tips for Beauty

Attaining the highest levels of beauty is the aim of almost every woman. Some people might find it pretentious but I have always found it important to look and feel beautiful. In this article I offer some very simple and basic beauty tips that go a long way in enabling one to achieve their desired attraction.
Many people rely extensively on makeup to look beautiful and are sometimes are too dependent on it for their needs. However it must be mentioned that makeup is really something artificial and sufficient care needs to be taken so that it is used in the best way possible. After all, makeup should only be approached as an 'enhancer' that enhances the innate beauty. There are many cases where the over-application of makeup can result in various ailments for the skin, which then has to be treated on its own. Thus, instead of making one look beautiful, makeup creates trouble for us! Focus then, should be shifted to more natural ways of enhancing ones beauty.
One of the most everlasting and time-tested beauty tips is to drink lots of water. We all know that 70 percent of our body is water and the same holds true for our skin. Hence it is only natural that we take care of keeping this ratio constant for our skin. Doing so keeps the skin plump and moisturized, and in this way is better able to fight of the dryness that so often plagues it, giving it a parched look. When there is sufficient moisture in our skin it also looks fresh rather than dull.
Sleeping is also one of the most essential regimens for attaining beauty. They say that one should sleep at least 9 hours a day and such sleep is known as beauty sleep. Sleeplessness has one of the most disastrous effects on the skin. The clearest indication of sleeplessness comes in the form of dark circles that develop around our eyes. Not only that, our skin also looks dull and does not radiate light well, just as in the case of not drinking enough water.
Finally, muscles in our face play a large part in maintaining the healthy glow and texture of our face. We should always try basic massage techniques that loosen up muscles in the skin. We do not need to spend too much time doing this. Just spending five minutes in the morning with this regimen would do.

In the end, who can forget the benefits of smiling as far as the muscles in our face go. Smiling after all, they say is the best exercise for the face. It needs no effort, just a happy, positive demeanor. So these beauty tips have almost no side-effects and keep levels of our beauty high!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larissa_Vinci

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How to Have Lighter Skin Naturally Without Bleaching Products

Every woman wants smooth, flawless skin, but not all of us is blessed with perfectly even skin tones. If you have uneven skin tone, blotchy age spots or freckles from sun exposure you may be looking for the best skin lightening products to promote a more even skin tone.
If you are a woman of African, Asian or Latino descent with dark spots and you are looking for ways to achieve an even skin tone, there are several products available that will lighten the dark spots on face, and help to even out your color, but you should pay close attention to the ingredients of the products that you buy because some contain harmful ingredients that can be hazardous to your health. To disguise skin discoloration you can buy lightening products that work to diminish skin discoloration, and even out your complexion. Another option is to use concealing products underneath your foundation makeup that will correct the appearance of your complexion. This option works only when you are wearing makeup, but it can be quite effective when you will be taking photographs or appearing on stage or any important social event.
When it comes to products that lighten your color tone, you may have heard reports in the news about the dangers of hydroquinone, which is still used as an active ingredient in skin care products in the U.S. although it has been banned in Europe. Be sure to read product ingredients and look for hydroquinone free products when you want an all natural skin lightening cream.
The best skin lightening products work by absorbing the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun thus protecting your skin from sun damage. They also work by actually slowing down the production of melanin in the body, which is the pigment that makes your skin dark.
Natural brightening and lightening products contain ingredients such as:
• Licorice extract, which absorbs both the UVA and UVB rays from the sun before they can damage your skin. This is also a de-pigmenting (fading) product that reduces the amount of melanin the skin produces, and it also
soothes the skin and promotes a firmer texture.
• White mulberry also reduces melanin production.
• Vitamin C, which is an anti-oxidant, protects the skin from damage from free radicals in the environment.
The best skin lightening products will fade freckles, blemishes, scars, brown liver spots and age spots, and various discolorations from hyper-pigmentation around acne scars, eczema and dry skin and even out your color tone naturally
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bonnie_Mechelle

SKIN WHITENING for ever

SKIN WHITENING for ever

Here You Are
“I Thought I Would Never Whiten My 
Skin But Contrary To My Doctor's Prediction, I Whitened My Skin Pigmentations Naturally, Without Drugs & In A Few Days, After Years of "Trying". You Can Too! Here's How...”

  I will show you how to Whitening Your Skin permanently in just days the natural way and helped thousands of people do the same.
  
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Caring for Natural Black Hair

Caring for natural black hair can be time-consuming, but the end result if done right makes it all worthwhile. The hairstyles you choose during your grow-out phase (right after the big chop especially) will determine whether or not you will be successful in having long hair.

Hair growth can be promoted by the type of styling you use. A simple style such as a short afro seems to be the best choice to begin with because it requires very little maintenance and handling as opposed to doing a lot of time-consuming twists, coils and knots too soon in the initial growth phase. Remember, the less you handle your hair, the more your hair has a chance to grow and not break off. Constant handling of your hair tends to cause severe breakage and will definitely slow down growth. A simple afro can be modified and dressed up with a scarf or headband, or you can simply part your hair on the side, roll a section of the hair and pin it with a bobby pin. These two styles require very little handling of the hair, and the less handling the better.

A daily regimen of extra virgin olive oil and water mixture is quite beneficial for your hair. The extra virgin olive oil is loaded with vitamins that are good for our hair, boosts its lustrous shine capability, and promotes a strong foundation for growth. Simply squirting the olive oil mixture in your hair twice a day and using a leave-in conditioner once a day such as Garnier leave-in conditioner or even Knot Today Lotion made by Kinky-Curly is the key to providing nourishment and conditioning to your hair on a daily basis.

Once in a while at bedtime and after washing, moisturize your hair with pure Shea butter and place a satin cap on your head. While you sleep, you are softening the roughness out of your hair. As this is accomplished and your hair becomes softer, there is less chance of the coarse hairs rubbing together causing friction, breakage, and split ends. With a regimen such as this, your hair will be receiving nourishment 24 hours a day which creates a situation ideal for tremendous growth.

As the hair grows longer, use of protective styles (styles that do not expose the ends of your hair) can aid in hair growth because the ends are not exposed to combing, brushing, and all other factors that can lead to split ends and breakage.

After my big chop, my hair measured approximately 2-1/2 inches. I tried coiling my hair and doing a two-strand twist, but my hair was too short and it ended up being a total waste of time and energy, and all I had to show for it was finger cramps and a lumpy hairstyle. I stopped this method and simply began moisturizing my hair and wearing an afro, and now a month and a half later, my hair is now measuring 3.5 inches and is still growing at a steady pace.

To dress up your afro for special occasions, you can apply curl activators to help define your curls. Use a plastic pick or a wide-toothed comb to style your afro as metal-pronged picks are not good for the hair and literally rip out the hair with each stroke.

To find out more about caring for natural black hair, it's time to explore Secrets to Growing Black Hair Long. You will learn the secrets to growing your natural hair long that are not found anywhere else. Visit http://www.growblackhair.us

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracey_Kramer

SKIN WHITENING for ever

Here You Are
“I Thought I Would Never Whiten My 
Skin But Contrary To My Doctor's Prediction, I Whitened My Skin Pigmentations Naturally, Without Drugs & In A Few Days, After Years of "Trying". You Can Too! Here's How...”

  I will show you how to Whitening Your Skin permanently in just days the natural way and helped thousands of people do the same.
  
GET BEAUTIFUL SKIN

Make Your Waist Smaller with This 30-Second Habit

By RealAge

 Few things plant the waist-widening TV remote more firmly in our hands than the need to destress. But here's a healthier way to let go of it all: Just breathe deeply.

It takes only about 30 seconds to do it right, and a quick and easy stress reduction strategy like this is critical to your waistline -- especially given a recent study on job stress and weight gain. In the study, workers who were super stressed tended to have bigger bellies than their peers who were more at ease.

Pound-Packing Stress Relief?

It's not that stress in and of itself causes waistlines to expand; it's how people deal with the stress that makes them fat. Researchers suspect the difference in weight was more likely due to the unhealthy coping mechanisms the stressed-out folks used -- like vegging in front of the TV, skipping that afternoon walk, and dipping into a pint of double fudge ice cream for cold comfort when they got home. (Related: Emotions can drive uncontrolled eating. Find out how to get a handle on it with these tips.)

Chill Out to Slim Down
Still, stress itself may do some damage as well. In fact, other research has found that chronic stress can increase the production of cortisol -- an anxiety hormone that facilitates the storage of belly fat and may boost cravings for high-calorie snacks. The good news? You can put stress to bed with just 30 seconds of deep breathing. (Follow this quick four-step guide to deep breathing.)

And if deep breathing isn't your thing, here are a couple of alternatives to try:

• Use these three relaxation techniques to give stress the pink slip.
• Check out four healthy methods for coping with financial stress.
• Downsize the stress from your job with these six coping strategies.

For job burnout, try this age-old remedy.