More and more people are opting to have cosmetic surgery. Choosing the right surgeon and clinic can be difficult unless choice is informed by balanced advice. The decision to undergo any type of cosmetic surgery is intensely personal. Although cosmetic surgery will not change your life, it may give you greater self-confidence and add to your sense of well-being. Do not make this decision lightly. It will not solve personal problems or make you look like someone else. Research the procedure Read as much as you can about the procedure or treatment you are interested in having. This will help make sure that it is right for you and that you are aware of the pros and cons of treatment. The best way to find a surgeon is word of mouth...through a friend or family member, or perhaps your doctor. Also check out our message boards on different sites to get surgeon recommendations from men and women who undergone the same procedure you’re looking for. Choose the right doctor Get a referral from your GP – they can make sure that, with your permission, any important information about your medical history is passed to the cosmetic surgeon. It also means that your GP can provide for you if you have any problems or need advice after the procedure. You should be offered an initial consultation with the doctor who will perform the operation/procedure. Do not be afraid to ask the doctor about his/her qualifications and expertise in the procedure you are interested in, how many times they have performed the operation and how often complications occur. Price should not be a deciding factor in which surgeon you choose, and many 'cosmetic' surgeons charge less than plastic surgeons. Be suspicious of special offers you see in newspapers or in magazines as most plastic surgeons charge a similar amount and rarely, if ever, give 'specials'. Prices can vary between surgeon depending on location, experience, where the surgery is performed (hospital vs. private clinic) and implant chosen. If you decide to go to an unqualified surgeon because of the price you could end up spending more money later on revision surgery. Find out about the clinic or hospital The best way to choose a clinic or hospital is through your GP. If this is not an option, make an appointment at a few clinics, so that you can compare prices and the services offered. • There should be registers of all private clinics and hospitals that are registered to provide cosmetic surgery in your country. The latest inspection report can be obtained from the Hospital or Clinic by requesting it. • All cosmetic surgery clinics and hospitals should be required to provide a memo detailing the services they offer, the cost, as well as information on making comments, complaints or suggestions.

It is a written report (stored in computers comprised of the following information about your personal credit worthiness and debt repayment history. •Identification by name, address, spouse's name, date of birth, Social Security number, telephone number, place of employment, mother's maiden name, etc. •Credit inquiries - every time a subscriber (credit provider) runs a credit report on a consumer, a record of the file inquiry is made. It will remain on the file in most states for one or two years. This is of interest to creditors because it reveals recent credit activity. •Information in public records and collection accounts are also collected by (or reported) to these agencies. Public records include courthouse records, bankruptcies, judgments, law suits, criminal records, etc. •Credit history - which includes the name and ID number of each subscriber who makes a report and your credit/debt repayment history. Also included is the date an account was opened, credit limits, current balance, monthly payment amount and payment frequency for the last 12-24 months. Records are dated with each request of entry. Other information includes, but is not limited to, consumer disputes, criminal convictions, individual liability or joint liability of accounts, co-maker or guarantor of payment on a certain account, secured accounts and charge offs (when a creditor has reported an unpaid balance as a loss). •Consumer statements - a statement, not to exceed 100 words, regarding any account(s) an individual may wish to more accurately and completely explain, often very helpful to credit decisions. When is a credit file created? Usually when you make application for a loan or credit card or when a party who extended credit makes a report to their credit reporting service on your debt repayment. Who can legally look at my credit report? Credit reporting agency subscribers comprised of banks, other lenders, merchants extending credit, life insurance companies, companies on employment applications, rental leasing, security clearance, etc. may not access an individual's credit record unless disclosure is made that a credit report will be requested and in many instances must receive authorization from the consumer. This authorization is standard procedure when you sign an application in any of the above transactions. Read the fine print on the applications for more details. How often should I look at my credit report? If you are actively using credit, using one or more credit cards with monthly or bimonthly charge activity, have installment loans(s), vehicle lease, etc. review your credit file every nine to twelve months, otherwise every 15 months is adequate. What if I need help? Avoid any type of credit repair firm or service. Do it yourself instead. It is easy and inexpensive.

The most successful businesses make it a regular part of conducting business by asking their customers and suppliers for feedback. They want to know how they can improve both their products and services. They want their customers to find it a pleasure to work with them. They have a goal of ‘delighting’ their customers. The only way they can do this is by asking for direct input. The encourage complaints. You should do this too. Ask your friends for feedback about you. Are you boastful? Are you fun? Are you shy? Are you easy to get along with? This isn’t about finding our flaws or bashing your ego. This is getting a good look at who you are. I’ve already discussed taking your inventory to get a better look at yourself. Now, it’s time to bring in others to help you. You can do this informally or formally. You can ask your friends to let you know what your three greatest strengths are and what your three greatest weaknesses are. You can ask them what they like most about you, or least about you. You can ask them open-ended questions and let them give you as many or as few attributes as they like. Ask them if they could change one thing about you, what would it be. The point here is not to hurt your ego or put you down. The point is to see how others see you. You may not even be aware of what you’re doing. And you can’t change your behavior until you become aware of it first. Maybe you like what you hear and don’t want to change certain things about you – and that’s fine. But at least you know. Maybe you won’t hear any surprises from your friends. But maybe you will. And once you become aware of the messages you are sending off, you can decide if those are the messages that will attract the kind of person you want. I just ran into a co-worker in the break room. I said, “Why are you scowling?” She said, “Was I scowling? I didn’t mean to!” She wasn’t even aware of how she looked, which makes sense. I’ve had similar comments made to me. We can’t see our own expressions, so maybe we’re not projecting how we feel. There is only one way to find out. Ask. This takes some guts. This is not an easy step. However, just like the most successful businesses that encourage feedback, it is well worth it.

Not all chest pain is alike. It may be mild and attributed to noncardiac problems, including heartburn or stress. Or it may be much more severe and life threatening, such as when it is due to an aortic dissection (tear in the large artery near the heart). Because aortic dissections are frequently mistaken for other, less serious conditions, even in hospital emergency departments, it is crucial that people know if they are at risk and how to prevent a tragedy. Aortic dissection is uncommon but not rare, with approximately 5,000 to 10,000 reported occurrences each year. Although the main symptom is usually severe, tearing or "ripping" pain in the chest or lower back, other symptoms include rapid pulse, sweating, nausea, weak or absent pulse and decreased sensation in the limbs. Aortic dissections require immediate medical attention, as they can result in massive internal bleeding and death. People with hypertension, Turner syndrome (a chromosome disorder) and a family history of aortic disease are at high risk for aortic dissection. Additionally, people with Marfan syndrome are at up to 250 times increased risk because of the fragile connective tissue in their aorta. Many people who have Marfan syndrome, however, are not diagnosed and do not know they may suffer an early sudden death due to aortic dissection. The National Marfan Foundation (NMF) urges those who display outward signs of the disorder-including a tall stature with disproportionately long arms and legs, indented or protruding chest bone, flat feet, long fingers and toes and eye problems-to be evaluated. Medications, surgery and lifestyle adaptations can help prevent a deadly dissection. Diane Sixsmith, M. D., chair, Emergency Medicine Department, New York Hospital, Queens, advises people who are prone to aortic dissection to take extra precautions. "Early diagnosis and treatment are key to survival for those who are predisposed to aortic dissection," she says. "If you are in a high-risk group, and especially if you have Marfan syndrome, don't wait for a tragedy to find you. Patients who have regular echocardiograms and who take medicine to slow the heart rate and the pulse do very well, and preventive surgery (before the aorta dissects) has a greater than 98 percent success rate."

I grew up in a tea farm about 20 miles from Taimu Mountain in eastern Fujian province of China. Fujian is one of the major tea growing regions in China. The famous Oolong tea Iron Goddess (aka Tie Kuan Yin) is from southern Fujian. Taimu Mountain is the origin of the exotic White tea. I spent most of my early childhood in a tea farm with my parents and three brothers and a sister along many other families and their playful kids. The farm is very large with two separate locations on two different mountains several miles apart. Aside tea growing and processing, the farm also grew crops and raised boars. The farm was state owned. The majority of the workers were young single man and women. Some of them just graduated from high schools. This is during the time of Cultural Revolution when every graduate was sent to a remote farm to learn from the physical work. For most kids, there was no chance to go to college at that time. We all lived in the same apartment building and shared a big dinning hall. It was like a big family. As a kid, I went to the tea garden with my mother and other women to pluck the tea leaves during the day. My father who was the accountant inspected and weighed the leaves at the workshop. The women were paid according to the weight of the leaves they plucked. Night time was when the tea processing began. The farm mostly produced green teas. The processing involved the drying of tea leaves by firing and frying. The process was continued overnight. The workers took a break in the mid night and had snacks, typically a bowl of congee or noodle. I along with other kids would stay late until it was snack time so that we got our share. It is not because we helped in any way; it was just because we were kids. Some times, we even slept in the workshop. We would take a large linen bag used for storing tea leaves and used it as a sleeping bag. One night, my cousin tied my older brother’s bag while he was sleeping sound. Later on, my brother woke up and tried to go to bathroom and could not get out. Unfortunately, he wet himself. After tea leaves were processed, some of them became broken. The broken pieces need to be separated out form the whole leaves by hands. I would join my mother and other women in this effort. Picking out the smaller broken pieces was a painstaking manual process and required a great deal of eyes and hands coordination. The faster one could pick, the more she would handle and the more she would get paid. The outcome was inspected to make sure the tea is free of broken pieces. Our farm was not a tea refinery where teas are further processed and packaged for final distribution to stores. The coarse teas were transported by feet from the farm to a refinery in the town many miles away. This was the time when we got to go with to visit the town and get our hair cuts, get good snacks and buy industrial products made in big and famous cities like Shanghai. I moved to my home town about 30 miles away to live with my grandparents and to attend school when I was about eight years old. Since then, I only visited the farm during the summer break. Chinese people recognize tea as one of the seven necessities of living. Every family, poor or rich, one person or several generations under the roof, all have tea and use it as a way of receiving and entertaining guests. It is a custom that you greet a guest with a bowl of hot tea. Most of times some home made snacks are also served along with the tea. There was no soda, no ice cream when I was a kid. Only tea and the courteous receptions I got from other families as I visited them. Those moments are in my sweet memories and are very much missed as I now live a modern life in the industrialized society full of all kinds of gadgets and gismos along with the fast and convenient sodas and ice creams, thousands of miles away from where I am from. I came to the states at the end of 1990 as a graduate student. Since then I have joined millions of people here in the pursuit of prosperity. I worked at one job to another, moved from one city to another. I raised one kid to and now two and tried to make the ends meet. Soda had taken the place of tea with its convenience when the fast-paced living leaves me with no time and no mood for tea. I had no tea for about 15 years until two years back when I went to visit my home town and brought back some teas. Now I am reunited with tea and started enjoying and learning more about it. Tea takes me home each and every day with its refreshing and reflective aroma and taste, even though I am oceans and continents apart from my root.

Welcome to a website that hopes to guide the male, online shopper. Before you examine more of the information here, please note that this fact. This is a very different sort of shopping guide. Our shopping guidance has not been designed to encourage the purchase of a particular product. Our shopping guide offers helpful information. It is not information about a new manly scent. It is not information about great automobile accessories. It is not information about certain items, items that bear the emblem of a specific sports team. The information in our shopping guide is about ED pills. We expect our information to prove helpful to a man who wants to Buy Cialis . Our information can guide that man to an online pharmacy with ED pills at a surprisingly low price. The information in our shopping guide can also assist a man who wants to Buy Viagra . As mentioned above, our website does not try to steer a man towards any particular product. Our website simply makes it easier for any man to find low cost ED pills. Generic brand pills have the same active ingredients as brand name pills. Yet generic brand pills are always cheaper than brand name pills. That is why we concentrate on the generic brands.

Arm chairs and sofas are often what people have, and there is very good reason for that. They have worked well and there is no need to change, though they do change in style and comfort as time goes on. A good chair is worth its weight in gold for many reasons. Some guests strongly prefer the arm chair to the sofa because it allows them to sit alone. Some like this, and others do not, but those who are not close friends or family often don’t like to be too close to someone they don’t know right away. Many gravitate towards the arm chair for that very reason, even if they don’t really realize what they are doing. It is an unconscious and completely understandable need to have personal space. There are many times when family members need this personal space as well. That is why most family rooms have a sofa and a few chairs rather than just two sofas. The best thing about arm chairs is that they are often more comfortable than they look. If you look at them in the store, you can never tell how they are going to feel until you have sat down to try it out for yourself. Some of the ones that look rather stiff and unforgiving actually end up being the best. They may have great support for the back while still leaving the sitter feeling as if they are sitting on a cloud of softness. You should never judge an arm chair on looks alone. Some that look comfy or stylish are not as well. The price of arm chairs will vary, and the price usually has a lot to do with how they look, but more importantly it might reflect how comfortable they are to sit in. The sole purpose of the chair is to have somewhere to sit, and no one wants to sit on something that is hard on the body and is not relaxing. This is why children don’t sit in arm chairs are school. If they were too comfortable they would not be paying attention in class. We’d have a nation of sleeping children if they got extremely comfortable chairs for school. However, when they get home, the comfort of a good chair might be just what they need to unwind.

Voltron Defender of the Universe Voltron Defender of the Universe started in the 1984 where it became a world wide hit. Voltron is a story of a magnificent robot which consists of 5 different robots with a resemblance to a lion that fights evil who wants to take over the universe. The Voltron force is lead by Keith who controls the Black lion that is powered by lightning. The Black Lion has no special powers except that it is the main lion that controls the complete Voltron robot. Lance is the second in command and pilots the Red Lion which is powered by fire that enables it to release fire from its mouth. Being powered by fire Red Lion has the ability to withstand extreme heat that other lions cannot, it also holds a part of the Blazing sword that is used to vanquish evil. Pidge is the youngest in the Voltron team and also a computer expert. Pidge pilots the green lion which is powered by life of the forest; it has the skill to create tornados that can carry enemies away. Hunk is the strongest and heaviest of all the pilots, he pilots the yellow lion which is powered by earth (magma). The yellow lion is the left leg of Voltron, it can dig very fast underground using its strong legs and claws. Sven is the original pilot of the blue lion but because of a severe injury he got he was replaced by Princess Alura. Princess Alura is the leader and surviving heir of the planet Arus. The blue lion is powered by water that enables it to fight underwater with extreme dexterity; it can also shoot water from its mouth and form an ice wall to temporarily stop enemies. The Voltron force is the last hope of the universe to defend, protect and destroy the minions of King Zarkon who is the leader of planet Doom. Voltron was aired on television last September 10, 1984. Featuring the voices of Michael Bell as voice of Lance and Sven, B. J. Ward as voice of Allura / Nanny / Haggar, Lennie Weinrib as voice of Hunk / Lotor, Neil Ross as voice of Keith / Jeff / Pidge / Chip, and many more… So Grab your copy now of Voltron Defender of the Universe at tvdvdplanet

A little planning now can help you handle a natural disaster or other emergency. Many Americans have focused on their need to be prepared in case of an emergency. Very few, however, consider financial preparedness in their plans. From keeping an evacuation box with important documents to setting up an account with emergency funds, preparing now can be the difference between financial security and financial crisis. These simple tips from financial experts at Union Bank of California can help anyone prepare financially for a natural disaster: • Conduct a Household Inventory Create a household inventory for items of significant value and locate originals of important financial and family documents. Store original documents in waterproof bags in a safe deposit box or durable "evacuation box" and photocopies in a safe place. Use a CD to back up key documents on your computer. If practical, store copies with friends or relatives who live outside the area. • Know Your Insurance Policies Understand what types of losses your renters or homeowners insurance covers. Ask your insurance agent or financial planner about additional coverage for floods, earthquakes, home offices and big-ticket items. Keep copies of your policies in a safe place along with your other important papers. • Keep Cash Accessible Keep at least $300 in cash at home in a place where you can get to it quickly in case of a sudden evacuation. The money should be in small denominations for easier use. • Create and Maintain a List of Emergency Contacts Keep a list of important emergency contacts, including direct family members, doctors, medical facilities, numbers for your bank, insurance agent and company, lawyer and financial planner/advisor. Credit card 1-800 numbers can help you quickly retrieve account information. • Keep an Emergency Savings Account This account should be separate from any other account and contain enough money to cover at least three to six months of living expenses. "We've learned from the aftermath of recent natural disasters that financial preparedness is not always top of mind," said Union Bank's Executive Vice President Ronald Kendrick. "Follow these guidelines to ensure you and your family are protected financially."

Today’s technology is at a point where we can do just about anything with a traditional photograph. In addition to traditional slideshows and photo albums it is now possible to create personalized home dйcor items and clothing. Photo blankets and photo pillows are the most commonly purchased photo items, but did you know that it is even possible to have a photo constructed onto a purse? A photo purse is made in the same way that photo pillows and blankets are. To have a photo purse made an individual must first find a person or a company who specializes in making them. Once a company or individual has been found the hard part comes next. The hardest part of ordering a photo purse is selecting the style of the purse and the photograph that you want to use. The best way to customize a photo purse is to first find out what is possible. If you selected an individual or a company to make your photo purse online it is likely that they have a website. This website should provide valuable information on the selection and styles of purses that are available for purchase. All companies are likely to offer different products; however, there is usually a wide selection of purse styles and sizes available. It is not uncommon to find small, medium, and large size purses that are able to have a photo constructed on them. These purses, no matter what their size, are almost always included in the cost of a photo purse. Once you play your photo purse order it is likely that it will take a few weeks or even a month for the finished product to arrive. Once your photo purse arrives it is likely that you will see right away why photo purses are so popular. There are a wide variety of different women who order and use a photo purse. Women of all ages are amazed with the quality of a finished photo purse. That is another one of the reasons why photo purses are so popular. If they are properly made a photo purse can look absolutely amazing. Each individual is likely to have their own reason for owning a photo purse. One of the most common reasons is because it allows an individual to always feel close and connected to their friends or their family. It is not uncommon for a mother to have a family photo purse or a teenager to have one with her and her friends on it. The possibilities of a photo purse are endless. With money and your favorite photograph it is amazing what a purse can turn into.

My former neighbor, Mary Young, a relatively new empty nester, remarked on how free she feels with her nine kids out of the house. This feeling is common. Joy Smith, author of "The Empty Nest Cookbook," encourages people to take advantage of it: "For the first time in years you can cook because you want to, not because you must. You have fewer people and palates to please, so cook in ways you've never dared." 1. Try new recipes. A majority of empty nesters say they enjoy exploring foods that their children would not eat, according to the July 2005 Pillsbury Empty Nester Survey. 2. Think smaller. With just the two of you at home, there's little need for family-size packages. 3. Buy perishables with care. To reduce spoilage, buy only a few pieces of fruit and small amounts of vegetables at a time. Choose dairy products and fresh meats with the latest expiration date. 4. Maximize nutrition. Pick foods that deliver the most nutrition for the bite. For example, broccoli (vitamins A and C), legumes (fiber) and fortified whole grain cereals like Whole Grain Total®. As you get older, you need fewer calories but the same, or sometimes greater, amounts of key nutrients. 5. Stock up on plastic containers. Prepare recipes that serve four or six and divide up the extra into two-serving portions. Label, date and refrigerate or freeze. 6. Swap homemade dishes with a friend. It's a great way to add variety to your menu. 7. Get a new gadget. A vacuum sealer seals out air and preserves the moisture and flavor of the original dish. "I seal and freeze leftovers in one-meal portions for fresh-tasting dinners anytime," suggests Smith. "Reheat in the microwave or boil in the bag on the stovetop." This recipe makes four servings, two for now and two for tomorrow. Crunchy Garlic Chicken Breasts 11/3 cups Whole Grain Total® cereal 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 cup skim milk 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 11/4 lb) Cooking spray 1. Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. 2. Crush cereal. In shallow dish, stir together cereal, parsley and paprika. In another shallow dish, stir together milk, chives, salt and garlic powder. Dip chicken into milk mixture, then coat lightly and evenly with cereal mixture. Place in pan. Spray top of chicken with cooking spray. 3. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut.

Success in life depends on many factors. Relationship is one of them. Do successful people have better friendships? Is their any relation between art of making friends and success? How to make friends who remain for a lifetime? What is success? Everyone of us has his/her own definition of success. An artist feels successful after creating a beautiful painting and a business person feels successful if the business makes profits. Each of us has his/her own parameters that decide success in our life. How do our friendships affect our success? Happiness and success? A successful person is essentially a happy person. Happiness means - to feel satisfied with life in most of the ways and to maintain a state of mind that is contented. Our friendships are part of our life. If we want to succeed, we will also have an art of making good friends and keep friendships strong through-out our life. Maintaining friendships. How? How to maintain friendships that last? The art is in giving rather than expecting. Share your friends' worries, concerns and happiness. Join them on all occasions that are important to them. Congratulate them at every success, express empathy at every loss and share joy at every success or any enjoyable occasion. The role of Internet in keeping contacts- In the earlier times, when the internet was not there, talking on telephones, sending letters and meeting personally were the preferred methods of keeping in touch. After the advent of Internet, emailing and chat are slowly replacing these earlier ways. How to make more impact? Would you prefer to send a one line congratulations mail to your friends on their birthdays, their anniversary, their promotion and all such other occasion when they are feeling special? What if you search the net and select an ecard or greeting card and send it? Does it make a difference? It surely does. It tells your friend that you took some effort in sending a message. Stop sending plain emails and start sending ecards to connect with your friends on days and occassion that are special. You will find the differenece in quality of relationship very soon. Try it.

There are more and more adults and youths that are opting to earn their college degree via an online educational institution. How ever I believe there are still some basic misconceptions as to how distance education works and where you must enroll for your degree. Let's take a look at this more closely. There are numerous on line accredited college degree programs in Montana. Just to mention a few, Miles Community College , Montana State University-billings , University Of Great Falls . Each of these has been accredited by the correct body to provide online education programs and accredited online college degrees. How ever what if the program you're in search of isn't offered by a local accredited college in Montana? That is of course suggesting that you live in Montana. Well all is not lost at all, this is the beauty of distance education. You need not enroll for a degree in your direct local area. The world is your oyster for online college degrees. If you want to support the local schools in your area then by all means check the programs available there first before looking else where. Ensure that the school is Accredited for that program and it meets the requirements you want. How ever if none of the local schools offer the courses you're interested in then take the next step. SEARCH. The beauty of the Internet and online college degrees is that you can earn a degree from a school that is half way across the country as easily as you can from a school in your own backyard. The course work may differ, but the end result is the same. More or less the same analogy to a brick and mortar college. Consider other schools outside the locally accredited colleges in Montana. Remember number one priority is that you receive the best education possible in your field of interest.

Have you ever heard of the truism “jokes are half meant”? If you have, do you believe in it? If you have not, then now, you have read of it and maybe if you read on, you’d be able to think of a joke of your own which could be half or full-meant. I gathered some of the most popular jokes on health and fitness over the Internet and after laughing about them, I thought maybe I could tell something that would prove that these jokes were born out of the sometimes painful and bitter realities of life. It would really be nice to have a slim and really fit body but not everybody is blessed with such. There are some people, no matter how much food they take, including calories, fats and all, who never gain weight or grow fat. But to those who are blessed with tons of excesses in fats and weight, trimming down is one of the most difficult tasks in the world. Especially if “exercise” and “dieting” are alien terms for them, this humorous analysis of how the human body was arranged is just right: I don't exercise at all. If God had wanted me to touch my toes He would have put them up higher on my body. Sometimes, in the lowest point of your weight-loss campaign wherein only your weight doesn’t go down and the rest, most especially your ego, has dropped down beyond the base, you find ways to console your ultra-bruised and dying ego. And one is to consider that every shape is accepted in the society: I'm in shape. Round is a shape. And then there’s the matter of aging. To some, the question is: why change the course of time? A person’s age adds up and along with the increase of the age is the gradual decline of the body. It is just a normal process. Why put pressure on yourself and your failing body? Age, time and fats are ganging up on you, three to one: The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat have become such inseparably good friends. To choose whether to follow what you think or what you feel is another difficult task. It is an honorable and praiseworthy thought of working to get into shape. But, what would you do if the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak? Every time I get the urge to exercise, I lie down till the feeling passes. And then there are some people whose form of exercise is sharpening their wits. They could utter one-liner wisecracks that could make it to the funniest sitcom on TV: The only exercise you get is jumping to conclusions. And who said that only the adults are having a hard time being friendly with exercising? Take a trip to a school PE schedule and you might be surprised to hear some outrageous quips coming from the tots that you think are advocates of physical fitness: My gym teacher told me to touch my toes. I said, "I don't have that kind of relationship with my feet. Can I just wave?" Excuses are the most popular forms of escape from the campaign towards getting fit and healthy. Here are some excuses that you may have sheepishly used once, twice or maybe more than thrice: • But it was my birthday, so I had to eat the whole cake. • I had to get the bitter taste out of my mouth from eating the so-called dish, so I had an ice cream. • If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories. • If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the diet soda cancels out the calories in the candy bar. • If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner. • Only eat things that have been broken into pieces; that way, all the calories fall out. • Chocolate is a vegetable. How, you ask? Chocolate is derived from cacao beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived from either sugar CANE or sugar BEETS. Both are plants, which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable. And there’s just the hardheaded approach, the I-really-don’t-care-whether-I’m-fat-or-slim attitude that you may pronounce as a hopeless case. It’s actually very easy to tell, once you hear this line, it’s it: I'm not into working out. My philosophy is no pain, no pain. Getting fit and staying healthy is not a laughable matter – or is it? One thing sure is that it isn’t an easy task. It involves determination, hard work and some light moments on the side. After all, laughing – for a long period – can help shake those excess fats off. And even the doctors agree it’s the world’s best medicine.

Manganese is an essential mineral for health. We should be able to get an adequate supply of manganese from our natural diet, yet many people are deficient in this critical mineral. Deficiencies in manganese can cause the following health problems: • Overweight • Glucose intolerance • Blood clotting • Skin problems • Lowered cholesterol levels • Skeletal disorders • Birth defects • Change in hair color • Neurological symptoms Most of us get close to an adequate manganese intake through the foods we eat. Some of the best sources of dietary manganese include grains, rice, soy beans, eggs, nuts, olive oil, green beans, oysters and tea. Ensuring that these foods and beverages are part of your daily life will help ensure that you are healthy. Manganese is used by the kidneys, liver, pancreas and endocrine systems. Doctors recommend that we get 5-11 milligrams of manganese in our diets each day. But, manganese can also be dangerous. In extremely high levels, manganese can be toxic to the body, causing poisoning. Manganese poisoning causes hallucinations, nerve damage, lung embolism and bronchitis. It can cause impotence in men and can cause a Parkinson’s like condition that produces tremors and loss of muscle control. The central nervous system is most critically affected by toxic levels of manganese, and it can cause permanent and unrecoverable disabilities. Early warning symptoms of manganese toxicity include headaches, weak muscles and insomnia. We know that exposure to manganese through the lungs and skin can cause toxicity. In particular, welders are at high risk for manganese toxicity. In short, anyone who regularly inhales dust and fumes from metals that contain manganese is at risk. This includes many occupations, since manganese is routinely added to other metals to inhibit rusting. However, there has been question about whether manganese in our diet can produce toxic effects. While there are no known reports of manganese poisoning strictly from ingesting too much dietary manganese, researchers wondered if it was possible. One study reported by the UK Tea Council explored the possibility of manganese poisoning simply through dietary exposure. The researchers considered the levels of manganese that are sometimes ingested by avid tea drinkers, since tea is a significant source of dietary manganese. Could, they wondered, someone get manganese poisoning simply from drinking too much tea? The study looked at 24 tea drinkers, each of whom drank at least one cup of black tea each day and compared them with non tea drinkers. The amount of dietary manganese consumed in a day was determined by interviewing the participants regarding their diets. In addition, their blood was collected and evaluated for the level of manganese in the bloodstream. The study concluded that even when dietary levels of manganese were significantly above the recommended 11 mg per day, the high manganese level did not show up in the bloodstream. Those who drank significant amounts of tea each day were at no greater risk for manganese poisoning than those who drank no tea at all. The body is able to process dietary manganese differently than manganese that we are exposed to through the respiratory system. In addition, excess dietary manganese is processed and excreted from the body as part of the digestive process. Therefore, we cannot get manganese poison from our diet, even when it includes a lot of tea or other significant manganese sources. This is great news for tea drinkers. We now know that we can consume our favorite beverage without risk to our health. And, this is good news, since tea has begun to take the forefront as a way to protect health and reduce aging. In recent years, scientists have begun to uncover the many healthy properties of tea. Tea is a powerful anti-oxidant, helping to reduce premature aging and lower our risk for certain serious diseases. In many studies, tea, particularly green tea, has been shown to prevent cancer. Tea seems to act as a scavenger on abnormal cells, eradicating them before they can turn cancerous. In some studies, green tea has even been shown to be an effective adjunct treatment for cancer. Some research has indicated that traditional cancer treatments are more effective when administered along with green tea. Tea has also been shown to prevent cardiovascular disease. One of the major causes of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when there is too much bad cholesterol in the blood. Through a process known as oxidation, this LDL cholesterol hardens and sticks to arterial walls, restricting blood flow. When blood flow to the heart or brain becomes too restricted, it can lead to heart attack or stroke. Green tea prevents the oxidation of the LDL cholesterol, preventing it from turning into arterial plaque. Green tea has also been shown to help regulate blood glucose, keeping it at a steady level. This finding may show significant potential against the fight against diabetes. If consuming green tea can help regulate blood glucose naturally, it may help prevent Type II diabetes. As time goes on, we may even find ways to use green tea to help treat those who already have diabetes. Green tea also seems to have potential in the fight against Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is caused by a deficiency in dopamine. This deficiency is caused by both the body’s inability to make dopamine because the cells that produce it begin to die off, and by the body’s inability to properly transport dopamine from the area of the brain where it is created to the area of the brain where it is used. Green tea has been shown to help dopamine travel properly from one area of the brain to the other, helping to ensure that all the dopamine made by the body reaches the destination where it is used. This may help eliminate one problem faced by those with Parkinson’s. Green tea also shows promise in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s occurs when certain chemicals in the brain begin to affect brain cells, causing them to deteriorate and die off. We don’t really know why the brain begins to do this, but research has shown that green tea’s anti-oxidants may protect brain cells from these chemicals when they try to attack. Far more research is needed, but it appears that green tea may help us uncover the mystery of this disease of the aging. So, as you can see, tea offers many important health benefits, and it’s wise to include it as part of our regular diet. Studies have concluded that there’s no potential health risk to consuming tea, even in large quantities.