By Heather Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. Teenage girls and young women are most at risk. The result can be anaemia which leads to tiredness, lack of concentration, breathlessness, dizziness and fainting if severe. How can it be prevented? A good diet, with adequate iron is the best way to prevent this problem from occurring in the first place. Foods rich in iron Excellent sources of Iron Good sources of iron The iron found in meat is more easily absorbed by the body than the iron found in other foods. However, one way to improve iron absorption is to avoid tea and coffee - because these inhibit iron uptake. Another boost which helps iron absorption is orange juice. Although your personal finances and your business success are my primary interest, I believe you only operate at peak efficiency when you're fit and healthy. If you feel good, it filters through to your work. To help you with that, click for your free ebook: The Quick Guide to Sexy
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By Heather Is it just me or can men get away with eating what they want and never have to think about jumping on a scale? I have noticed with my male friends and husband, that they never count calories, eat all the food they want but also never seem to put on weight. Why is this? Well, firstly, I am probably mistaken. Most of my guy friends are often in the gym or doing sports, it's just taken for granted that men are more active and so I haven't really taken time to notice this before. Secondly, I am told that men do struggle with weight issues too, but the weight gain is less noticed simply because men do not weigh themselves obsessively! One moment they are holding their weight steady and then after a long gap between weigh-ins the kebabs, curries and pints come back to haunt them and they've gained several stones! (A true case of fat creep, if ever I saw one). In several scientific studies (1,2) the energy expenditure of men at baseline is higher than in women. Although this effect is small it still can be used as a reason why the observation that men find it easier to lose weight than women is true. Also, bear in mind that men are just bigger than women, as a general rule, so seeing a big guy may not make as big an impact as a similar sized woman. This is definitely not fair, but I am sure we are subconsciously primed to take less notice of a bigger man than a bigger woman. When it comes to weight loss though men may just be lucky, because they naturally have a higher lean body mass - or more muscle - than women. This is genetically determined and also has a lot to do with hormone make-up. Men have more testosterone and less oestrogen than women which is one reason they have more muscle and less fat. Hormones act on the brain also, and there is evidence that men are less at the mercy of their hormones than are women when it comes to resisting food, or making food choices. This may explain why men can control their weight better - if they are less fixated on eating during a conscious effort to lose weight, then the calorie intake will be more controlled and weight loss may be faster and easier. Importantly, research (3) indicates that after training hard - in the research paper it was for 5 months in preparation for a marathon - men maintain a higher energy expenditure compared to women. The researchers conclude it has as much to do with hormonal factors as well as behavioural factors; men can make long term changes to diet patterns after the endurance training has ended which women don't maintain, as well as their increased muscle mass being more metabolically active after the endurance training was over. How can females make an impact on this? I would recommend that doing regular resistance exercises such as lifting weights can help. In fact, government advice (4) is to do at least 2 sessions a week of such muscle-strengthening activities (for example lifting weights, or doing press-ups or yoga) no matter who you are or what your level of fitness. References 1. Morio B et al. Gender differences in energy expended during activities and in daily energy expenditure of elderly people. Am J Physiol 1997; 273: E321–E327. 2. Carpenter WH, et al. Total daily energy expenditure in free-living older African–Americans and Caucasians. Am J Physiol 1998; 274: E96–E101 3. Meijer GA et al. The effect of a 5-month endurance-training programme on physical activity: evidence for a sex-difference in the metabolic response to exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1991; 62: 11–17. 4. http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html Although your personal finances and your business success are my primary interest, I believe you only operate at peak efficiency when you're fit and healthy. If you feel good, it filters through to your work. To help you with that, click for your free ebook: The Quick Guide to Sexy Some people have naturally great, photogenic skin. I'm not one of them! This week I received several inquiries about how I maintain good skin so I decided to create a video. In my teens and early 20s I used to get pimples all the time but now I rarely do and I think it's because I have a good skin routine. When I stop doing these things my skin starts to flare up, so here's what I do: 1. I drink eight 250 ml glasses of water daily.
This does not include coffees, teas, juices. If I drink a herbal (i.e. non-caffeinated tea) without any sugar, e.g. a peppermint tea I will include in my water count but anything else does not count. All my water is drunk at specific times:
2. I jog I have no idea how this works but when I stop exercising my face starts to look less good. 3. I wash my face twice daily I do this almost without fail. It's easy enough because I also shower twice a day. Sleeping with makeup is an absolute no-no. 4. I rinse my face off with cold water after washing my face This is a must to close the pores. I even do it in winter. 5. I do not wipe my face with a face cloth I stopped doing this over ten years ago. Face cloths harbor so much dirt. 6. I use Dr Miracle's It Formula for my face I have been using them for about 3 years now and I think they are very good. The system consists of a facewash, toner and a cream. None of them smell good but they work! The pack lasts about 6 weeks. 7. I use Maybelline Dream Matte Mouse Foundation - Cocoa This foundation looks so good on me that about 10 other people started using it because of me including my mother, two sisters and cousins. 8. I should exfoliate weekly but I don't! Because I am doing everything else correctly skipping this one thing does not appear to be too problematic for me. When I do exfoliate I love St Ives' scrubs. They are very good and they smell great. By Heather I am a big fan of green tea not only because it tastes good, but also because of the supposed health benefits. Some research has also shown that green tea extracts can help weight loss. However, most of the research that has been done is limited at best, and inconclusive at worst. Weight loss effects are thought to be due to green tea increasing metabolic rate. If the basal metabolic rate increases, the amount of energy burned also increases. Therefore, all things being equal, taking caffeine should help you to achieve a negative energy balance, and hence lose weight. The evidence suggests that green tea can - in the short term - reduce body weight. One large review looked at 14 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which aimed to answer the question whether green tea preparations were effective and safe for weight loss and weight maintenance in overweight and obese adults. Weight loss varied between half a pound and seven and a half pounds across the studies. Changes in waist circumference were even more modest - average change was minus 0.2cm! Waist to hip ratio did not alter significantly. The study did not look at other markers of improved health. It is possible that the green tea made some overall beneficial change to health independent of these changes. But further research would be needed to look into this. Two of the studies looked at how effective green tea was at maintaining weight loss. Over 180 participants were included. Weight loss ranges were between 1 and 3 pounds. A range of waist circumference changes were recorded as a gain of 0.3cm to a loss of 1.7 cm. What this research showed was that the weight loss was small, and I am sure you would not be impressed even if you lost the maximum observed in this research. What is in the green tea than helps weight loss? Caffeine and another naturally occuring substance in the green tea called catechins. What are catechins? Catechins are substances found in certain fruits, vegetables and wines as well as tea, some cocoa and chocolate. The chemical family which they belong to is called flavanols. Verdict: Green tea and weight loss - more myth than weight loss panacea. However, I will still be drinking it (WITHOUT sugar or milk, mind you!) Although your personal finances and your business success are my primary interest, I believe you only operate at peak efficiency when you're fit and healthy. If you feel good, it filters through to your work. To help you with that, click for your free ebook: The Quick Guide to Sexy 5/5 Intense. That's the only way to describe it. Fantastic acting; I loved Macy Gray although her scene was very short; a lot of the poetry went right over my head so I'm going to look it up because it was all really deep. When Thandie Newton's sister in the film was about to have the abortion that's when I first felt my blood pressure rising, I was glad they didn't show any of the abortion but my relief was very short-lived. The rape scene had my blood boiling. It was so unexpected. The guy came on as such a gentleman, he planned the perfect rape: dinner first, then he gets the girl to invite him over to her house and then he does it! I was in shock but it's "the scene with the kids" that had my heart in my throat. Unspeakable. I didn't cry but I definitely felt very emotional throughout the film. And in the scene when Janet Jackson breaks up with her husband, I just knew, I knew what was coming because that whole scenario was my sister's undergrad dissertation topic. Then the plot line of molestation at the hands of a grandfather?! That was too much. How so much drama was packed into a single film...the film doesn't really focus on race, it's more about sisterhood, the burdens we all bear and sticking together. Race played a part in every story but it was very subtly played out. I don't know why it took me so long to watch this great film - I've always liked Tyler Perry and I want to watch more of his films - more, more, more. A definite must-watch! You can watch it for free on YouTube!
Okay girls, I talk about this in Build a Booming Business but I thought I would write a brief blog about it too:
I've seen quite a few websites out there with footers clearly showing that the website is free. You may think that this doesn't matter, "at least you have a website", BUT it does matter, it matters a lot! If a potential customer comes to your website and it is blatantly free their initial thoughts are:
Especially if you are selling products you cannot have a site that is conspicuously free! It says too many negative things about the business. Your customers don't want to buy from a hobbyist, they want to buy from a passionate business owner that knows a lot about their business. They want to buy from someone that makes an effort and will respond to them quickly when they have an issue. Furthermore, with so much internet fraud going on nowadays people want to work with businesses that they can trust. Whether you like it or not, a free website doesn't not instill confidence in potential customers. A free service is not only limiting but it also kills potential business. I have been building my own websites since 2007. I used to build sites from scratch but now I make my life easier by using a drag and drop web builder called "weebly". You don't need any coding skill whatsoever and you can build beautiful websites with weebly in hours. I curently run over 1o websites using weebly's easy drag and drop tool.
Was it expensive?
No. I paid $78 for two years and the ability to build 10 websites. For most people 10 websites is enough but I paid a one-off fee of just $50 to increase my access to 15 sites. If you're running a free website or plan on starting a business, do yourself a favour and use weebly! It's one of teh best business decisions you could ever make! Examples of websites I've built with weebly include this one, girlbanker.com, fatcreep.com,exampleresume4u.com, UncleCanCook.com and katsonga.com. I'll admit it, old age poverty is one of my greatest fears. I will work against it at all cost. It turns out, I'm not the only one. According to a UK survey, almost a third of people, 31%, aged 45 to 54 cite a lack of cash in their 70s and 80s as their top worry. This is followed by a loss of independence (26%) and dementia (23%). I don't think about old age poverty very often but it's there at the back of my mind; I only think about it when I'm at the supermarket and I see someone who is well past it mopping the floors or swiping purchases. So what about being old and poor scares me?
We would combine our money and live in a big house together with a couple of qualified nurses helping us take care of ourselves. With this arrangement if someone's partner moved on to the next life we would still have each other for company. I've never thought about this co-op way of living before but thinking about it now feels good. I'll run it by my friends. What are you doing to stave poverty when you're old? Most people enter into a mortgage and as soon as the docs are signed and sealed they forget about it. Some don’t even remember when it matures or what the rate is. At the point of renewal their broker or mortgage lender shows them a price and they think, that looks alright, and roll over for another two or three years. You could be throwing away a lot of cash if this is you! I used a mortgage broker the first time that I ever entered into a mortgage but I know the market so well now that I am my own broker. I prefer to shop for my own rates. Here are three simple things that could help you save a bucket load: 1. Set a reminder As soon as you secure a mortgage, if there is a chance of you forgetting when it matures set a reminder on your phone or computer. An alert two to three months before the mortgage matures is ideal. If it doesn't mature for 10 years or more, set a reminder to shop around for a new mortgage deal in 2 or 3 years' time. 2. Call your lender to quote you a new rate two or three months before maturity, then shop around for better! I was on a deal of 3.26% for two years at which point my mortgage reverted to the lender’s “standard variable rate” (SVR). Assuming an interest-only mortgage of £250,000, that’s about £15,990 over two years. When I called to ask for a new fixed rate, I was quoted a 2-year fixed rate of 3.39% plus a fee of £500. Assuming an interest-only mortgage of £250,000, that’s about £16,630 before the fee. I thought this sounded okay and frankly I felt too lazy to shop around. I called my husband to confirm that I was going to confirm the rate and as he trusts me he said fine and “have you looked anywhere else for a better deal?” I hadn’t and although I didn’t feel like it I decided to do a quick, half-hearted search just to say I had. Within 15 minutes I saw a 2-year fixed rate deal at 3.09% with a fee of £1,000. Some quick maths told me that this deal would amount to a saving of just under £1,000 over a two year period. 3. Call your mortgage lender and bargain The reason you call is because actually changing lenders is a bit of a hassle; a new lender will have to do a full due diligence on you whereas the existing lender already knows you, so if you can get the same deal where you are there will be far less work involved for you. I called up my lender and told them the deal I had found. I was happy to pay the £1,000 fee for the saving of 0.30%. Being a reliable payer, my lender matched the rate of 3.09% and kept their fee at £500. Result! Over the two year term that was a saving of about £1,500: enough to fund a brand spanking new iMac. I certainly wouldn’t sniff at that. Two months after I had secured this deal news broke that mortgage rates were going up across the UK economy…I was more than a little glad that I hadn’t waited until mortgage maturity to act! Personally, I don't think Rihanna is showing too much flesh in this picture. If my booty was that toned it would also be out and about regularly. The image amuses and entertains me.
The fact that she got back with Chris Brown? Well the way I see it, she's a grown woman and she knew 100% what she was getting into. People get quite heated about Rihanna and her antics but Rihanna has clearly expressed that she doesn't try to be anyone's role model, she's out having fun and being true to herself. I respect that. That said, young girls do look up to, admire and emulate her so I'm cool with her acting crazy but only to a certain extent. If she took pictures of herself taking a class A drug and posted them to Twitter, I wouldn't be impressed. The pictures she took of herself smoking a spliff a while back are borderline, I would like to hope that any kids I had would be smart enough to know that's stupid. What do you think? Let's let Riri have her fun or "get it together, girl!"? Rating: 5/5 Before you ask, no, I didn't cry - I'm made of very stern stuff but the film does tug at your heart right from the start. This film was very well acted. It didn't feel like a typical musical because I could hear practically everything. I usually have trouble hearing in a musical. I would have liked to see more of what life in a 19th century French prison was like. That might have made me cry. The fact that the man was sent to jail for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread is just a sign of how horrible those times were. That said, I think some American states may be going silly with their laws too: North Carolina is planning on sentencing women that expose their breasts in public to prison for six months - apparently this won't affect breast feeding. Federal law might start giving people maximum sentences of 5 years for unlocking their own mobile phones; don't worry though you might get away with the alternative $500,000 fine! Anyway, I digress. I hated Russell Crowe's character. I simply don't understand people who put the law above common sense. Anne Hathaway was excellent although she didn't act in most of the film. These were awful times for poor women; she went from striking beauty to a hairless, prostitute with teeth missing in hours. It was very unpleasant to watch, especially as she was forced into all those things. Though a much smaller role I also like Éponine, the only actress from the actual musical that made it into the film. I thought she was called Ebony until two minutes ago when I checked!! There is so much more I could say about the film, all I'm going to say is watch it! |
By Heather
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