✚Helpful Hints #9

HEALTH and WELLNESS

SNACKING ON ALMONDS TO SLOW DOWN AGING!

European research shows that these nuts contain powerful antioxidant compounds, called phytates which strengthen the immune system, plus nourish aging body cells so they behave like younger cells!  Don't like almonds?  Other phytate-rich foods include brown rice and wheat cereals.

GOING SHOELESS IS KNEE-FRIENDLY
Walking barefoot around the house reduces the stress and impact on your knees by nearly 12%, helping to prevent osteoarthritis, say researchers at Rush Medical College in Chicago.

BEAUTY and FITNESS

Silver shoe lining

PREVENT SHOE ODOUR WITH SILVER!

Instead of using chemicals or powders in your shoes to keep them fresh, try slipping in a liner made with silver - a natural antibacterial that absorbs smells.  It inhibits the growth of odour causing bacteria, mold and fungus in or on the surface of the product. Working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

COLOGNE 101 FOR MEN!
Men, to get the best use out of a cheap or not-so-cheap cologne try these tips:

• Men are usually not as picky as women when it comes to scents. They generally do not give it much thought. Consequently they may end up using one fragrance as a cologne and another one as an aftershave. Try to stick to the same brand of aftershave as your cologne.  If you can't, at least get something that is very close, or use an unscented aftershave.  You don't want layering scents unless they are similar. 
• Most cologne will last all day depending on your body's personal acidity level and how well it holds up when combined with the oils found in cologne. In which case, you may have to spray once more throughout the day.
• Concentration: Eau de Cologne and Eau de Toilette are best worn indoors because of the smaller amounts of fragrant oils it contains. For the men's colognes that come in Eau de Parfum contain so much fragrant oil that is it optimal to wear outdoors where the open air dilutes the scent making it less potent. If you were to wear an EDP indoors, the people around you will be very overwhelmed by the scent and might aggravate someone allergies.
• Store your cologne away in a cool dry place, away from light or extreme temperatures - if you want it to last longer.
• Apply cologne on pusle points where heat is generated thereby increasing the scent to such areas as your wrists, behind ears and base of throat!
• Cologne should only be sensed by those who are within arm's length of you; you'll know if you're wearing too much if those at a greater distance can smell you as well.

GOT ACNE? UNWANTED HAIR
Try drinking spearmint tea!  In a Turkish study, women who drank the brew twice a day for five days had lower levels of hormones linked to both of these annoying conditions!

HOME and AUTO
BAD WINTER DRIVING HABIT - FLOORING THE GAS TO GET UNSTUCK
If you end up stuck, the one thing you shouldn't do is floor it; putting pedal to metal will only cause the car's tires to dig in deeper. To escape, it's best to press lightly on the gas pedal while in second gear (for both automatic and manual cars). Make sure your front wheels are pointed straight, and if you can get helpers to lend a push, you'll be out in no time.

REPLACE SMOKE ALARMS MORE THAN 10 YEARS OLD
After a decade, smoke detectors won't reliably warn of fire. Change them at once. Also key: Place alarms in and outside every bedroom and on each level of the home, and change batteries yearly.

SEX and RELATIONSHIPS
HAVING SEX CAN REDUCE A FEVER BY THE SWEAT PRODUCED.
Sex is not only a fever reducer but a pain reliever also!  It is ten times more effective than Valium.  Immediately before an orgasm, levels of the hormone oxytocin rise by five times, determining a huge release of endorphins.  These chemicals calm pain, from a minor headache to arthritis or migraines, and with no secondary effects.  Migraines also disappear because the pressure in the brain's blood vessels is lowered while we have sex.  So the next time you say 'Not tonight honey, I have a headache' - you might want to think again.

CONDOM MISTAKES MEN MAKE
Putting on a condom should be second nature to men... right?  Think again. According to menshealth.com, researchers from Indiana University analyzed 50 studies on condom usage, and after punching the numbers on 16 years of data, they found a laundry list of errors.  Here were but a few:

• Late application.   Between 17 percent and 51.1 percent of people reported putting a condom on after intercourse has already begun. (Which doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to STD prevention.)
• Early removal.  Between 13.6 percent and 44.7 percent of the respondents reported removing the condom before intercourse was complete.
• Completely unrolling the condom prior to application
  Between 2.1 percent and 25.3 percent of people admitted to completely unrolling the condom before sliding it on. How does that even work?
• No space at the tip.  Failing to leave space for semen at the tip of the condom was reported by 24.3 to 45.7 percent of the respondents.
• Failure to remove air.  When looking back to their last sexual encounter, 48.1 percent of women and 41.6 percent of men reported that they didn’t squeeze the air from the tip before use.
• Inside-out condoms.  Between 4 percent and 30.4 percent of participants reported they began rolling the condom on inside out, but then flipped it over and continued its use. And that’s bad, since it can expose her to your pre-ejaculatory fluids, which can get her pregnant. (Nope, that wasn’t just a lie your gym teacher told you.)
  

FOOD and DRINK
DON'T THROW IT AWAY!  USE FLAT BEER TO MAKE THE PERFECT STEAK!
Next time you aren't thirsty enough to finish a whole beer, don't pour the remaining brew down the drain.  Instead, put it back in the refrigerator and save it for the next time you cook steak.  Adding the beer to your marinade infuses the meat with a delcious malt flavour and tenderrizes it so it's soft and juicy!  See more Beer Uses here.

CHOP ON WOOD... OR PLASTIC
For a long time, experts stated that plastic chopping boards were more hygienic than wooden ones. It was assumed that plastic could be cleaned more easily and more thoroughly than wood. Then, in 1994, researchers declared that wood retained fewer bacteria than plastic. Further studies followed that confused the issue, but the general consensus now is that there isn’t much difference. Bacteria can persist on both materials for a long time, so choose whichever you prefer to use and make sure all your chopping boards are washed well in hot soapy water after use.

MONEY and FINANCE
BUY AT A LOWER PRICE!

No time to monitor for price drops ona product you want?  Try free price-watch websited that do the checking for you!  Just add the item to your watch list, and you'll get and e-mail as soon as the item goes on sale or has its price cut.  For computers, TVs or cameras online and in stores, try Decide.com; for Amazon.com products, use NukePrice.com; and for other online retailers, turn to ZingSale.com/ or PricePinx.com.


RECOUP OVERCHARGES!

Checking credit and debit card bills for eerors and fraudulent charges is important - not to mention tedious and time-consuming!  Now the bill-analyzing service at BillGuard.com can dod the screening for you.  Simply enter your account information, and the sure website scans your accounts daily for problems that could be costing you money.  If it finds anything suspicious, it immediately sends you an e-mail so you can double-check the charge and get your money back!

AFRAID OF HEIGHTS?
THAT MEANS YOU'RE A SENSITIVE PEOPLE-READER!

A fear of heights (acrophobia) suggests you have a 
hypersensitive nervous system, say researchers.  And while that sensitivity means you're never going to be the first to volunteer to climb a ladder, it mean you're usually the first to notice what someone else is thinking for feeling.  That's because with a more sensitive nervous system comes greater intuition and heightened emotional awareness!












Resource(s):
Reader's Digest magazine, Consumer Reports magazine, tips.become.com/, The Oprah magazine, Womans World magazine, Men's Health magazine, Quirkology.com, Best Health magazine, homesafe.com, Money magazine, Macleans magazine, Better Homes and Garden magazine, beauty-tips.net/