Chapped lips, dry hair, split ends, dry, itchy skin� all this and more is often wrought upon us every winter. Here are tips on how to ensure your hair and skin stays soft, supple and well moisturised during these months.
Lips

Dry, cracked and chapped lips are a common winter complaint, and severe cases of chapped lips can be very painful, not to mention unattractive. What�s worse is that lipstick makes cracks stand out even more instead of concealing them. However, chapped and peeling lips can be cured within a couple of days. Apply lip balm generously and bush your lips gently with a soft toothbrush until the flakes have dislodged. Apply another coat of lip balm, and skip the lipstick unless it is richly moisturising. Matte lipsticks dry out lips, so steer clear of them. Brushing lips with a toothbrush also plumps them up and makes them look fuller and sexier, so do this every morning before stepping out.

Almond oil makes for a great lip moisturiser. Simply apply some almond oil to lips before turning in for the night. You could also heat grated beeswax and almond oil and mix them together. You could also add Vitamin E oil to this mixture.

Skin

Skin often goes dry in the winter, but can return to normal within a week. When you splash water on your face, make sure it�s not hot water as hot water uses up the skin�s moisture. Cold water on the other hand stirs up circulation, temporarily closes large pores and brings a glow to the face, so splash cold water on your face a couple of times a day. However, skip washing your face with a face wash and instead opt for a gentle, cream cleanser. Make sure you use an alcohol-free toner and follow up with a thick moisturiser which contains collagen, lactic acid or urea. It is best to apply moisturiser on damp skin, as this locks in the moisture. Similarly, apply body lotion to your skin immediately after a shower, when your skin is still damp and you have not yet completely wiped it dry. Scrub your face once a week in the winter before applying moisturiser as this removes dead skin from the top and allows the moisturiser to reach the bottom layers of skin.

At times excessively dry skin can start itching. This happens when the skin develops cracks due to dryness, and bacteria and other irritants enter these cracks. These cracks are so fine that they are invisible to the naked eye, so if your face starts itching don�t expect to see a cracked up face in the mirror! Calamine lotions soothe itchy skin, as do aloe vera lotions. If itching is severe you could try applying Benadryl creams, which temporarily control the itching.

Hair

Winter is often accompanied by dry hair, an increase in split ends, more static in the hair and more frizzies. Your hair requires not just conditioning but a deep conditioning treatment. For an at-home, do it yourself deep conditioning treatment, try this: Apply conditioner generously to your hair, cover your head with a shower cap and wash off after an hour, or leave on overnight and wash off in the morning. You could also steam your hair after applying the conditioner, and then wash it off after half an hour. Conditioner works better than oil because it is easier for conditioner to penetrate the hair shaft. Oiled hair is most benefited if hair is steamed after applying oil.[indiaparenting]

Fat is a bad word in the world today. Gym memberships are rising day by day; so are the sale of exercycles. Supermodels are becoming thin to the point of disappearing and entire conversations are devoted to the latest diets. And it�s all about battling a deadly enemy called FAT. You hear people talk about women who have thunder thighs and men with beer bellies. This is because in the case of men, fat tends to settle around their abdominal region. Women, on the other hand, tend to accumulate fat around their hips and thighs.

But you just can’t escape it. It’s something that just isn’t going to go away. Fat is essential in the human body as it regulates body temperature, cushions and protects the organs and is the body� energy storehouse.

(Note: Body fat percentage is merely the percentage of fat your body contains). Thus, if you weigh 40 kg and your body fat percentage is 10%, it means that you have 4 kg of fat and 36 kg of lean body mass that consists of bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood, etc.

So how much fat is enough, how much is too much and how much is too little? The American College of Sports Medicine has laid down recommended body fat levels for both men and women.

Male:
Low: 6-10% fat
Optimal: 11-17% fat
Moderate: 18-20% fat
Obesity: Greater than 25% fat

Female:
Low: 14-18% fat
Optimal:19-22% fat
Moderate: 23-30% fat
Obesity: Greater than 30% fat

By these standards, men who have a body fat percentage less than 3% and over 20% would be considered unhealthy. Similarly, women with body fat percentage less than 11% and over 30% would fall into the unhealthy category.

Factors affecting body fat

The amount of fat in a person�s body depends on his/her body type, dietary habits and level of physical activities.

Genetic body type (somatype)

Body types fall into three basic categories: ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. Most people are genetically predisposed to develop characteristics of one of these somatypes with secondary traits from other body types.

Ectomorph: possesses a low body fat percentage level, small bone size, a high metabolism, and a small amount of muscle mass and muscle size.

Mesomorph: possesses a low to medium body fat percentage level, medium to large bone size, a medium to high metabolism, and a large amount of muscle mass and muscle size.

Endomorph: possesses a high body fat percentage level, large bone size, a slow metabolism, and a small amount of muscle mass and muscle size.

While there’s not much a person can do about his body type as it is genetically predetermined, he can do something about environmental factors within his control like his diet and exercise.

Level of physical activity

Here are some tips on how exercise can help you reduce your body fat:

• Aerobic excercise for 20 minutes, three times a week will improve your cardiovascular system, increase your metabolism, and burn body fat.
• Weight/strength training for 20 minutes, three times a week will increase your muscular strength, enhance your muscular endurance, result in a leaner body mass, and will have a favorable affect your bone density.
• Stretching before and after exercise will increase the range of motion of your joints and muscles. Increasing your flexibility also decreases your risk of injury while exercising.

Diet

Exercise on its own will not make a significant difference in the battle against fat if your diet comprises all the wrong kind of food. Sensible nutritional diets are a must. You need to limit the amount of fat in your diet to not more than 20% of the calories you consume.

Thin and fat�

It may surprise you to know that thin is not necessarily the opposite of fat. A thin person may have very little muscle and a high percentage of body fat. Thus, you can have a thin fat person.

Less fat is not better as people are prone to believe. Extremely low body fat, in fact, can be bad for health. Low body fat percentages reduce a person’s immunity to disease. It can also lead to loss of bone density, which in turn, puts a person at greater risk of stress fractures. Low body fat can result in the disruption or the complete cessation of a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Good fat and bad fat�

Even fat can be separated into the �good guys� and the �bad guys.� The fat that is located right beneath our skin, known as subcutaneous fat, is the good fat. The bad fat is mostly located in the abdomen and around the internal organs. This is called intra-abdominal or visceral fat. The more visceral fat you have, the higher the level of free fatty acids in your blood. Bad body fat can clog the arteries and affect the functioning of the liver. Genetically, men ten to have about twice the amount of bad fat as women.

Fat cells and muscle cells�

Muscle and fat combined usually account for about well over half a person’s weight. Men tend to have a higher ratio of muscle to fat than women. A person’s weight depends on the number and size of muscle and fat cells. People with more and bigger muscle and/or fat cells will weigh more than a person with fewer and smaller cells.

We are born with a fixed number of muscle cells. This number remains the same for most of our lives. As a person grows, the size of these cells increases. However, an activity like weightlifting can also increase the size of muscle cells.

In the case of fat cells, people are usually born with between 5 billion and 10 billion of them. As we grow older, this number increases to about 20 billion for a thin person and to about 100 billion for an obese person.

Myths about body fat�

Myth number 1 is that fat can be turned into muscle, or vice versa. Muscle is a tissue and fat is a substance. Therefore muscle and fat cannot create one another.

Myth number 2 is that if you weigh more on the scale, you must be overweight. This is untrue. Muscle (lean body mass) weighs approximately 75 percent more than fat. In other words, you can increase your actual body weight without increasing your body fat. You can even increase your body weight and at the same time decrease your percentage of body fat.

Myth number 3 is that the weighing scale is the best way to determine whether you are overweight. In fact, the fit of your clothes and examining yourself nude in the mirror are much better ways of checking that you haven’t developed any unseemly bulges.[indiaparenting]

Do you give your feet the pampering they deserve? Think about it. Our feet have a tough job. We walk around all day in high heels, stand for hours, tread on all sorts of uneven surfaces. And our feet not only have to put up with all this, but they have to do it while supporting our entire body weight! So give your feet a break � and inject some tender loving care into their lives. Indulge your feet with the perfect pedicure.�

Hair is a woman’s crowning glory. When it starts to fall at alarming rates it becomes a cause of incessant worry. Many believe that baldness occurs only in men but this is incorrect.

Ignoring hair loss can be a big mistake because hair is an indicator of health and losing your tresses might mean there is some imbalance that needs attention. Dermatologists believe that hair loss can be treated in most of the cases with timely medical help.
What is hair loss?

Shedding 50 to 100 hairs is a part of the normal hair cycle. But if you are seeing a gradual thinning of your mane or bald patches on your scalp, consult a dermatologist.

What are the causes?

If you are losing hair in patches, it is called alopecia areata. This happens when the hair roots are attacked by your immune system.

Other reasons for hair loss include:

• Medication
• Chronic illness like renal and liver problems
• Pulling your hair through regular braiding and ponytails
• Thyroid disease
• Improper hair treatments with repeated use of chemical colors or incorrect way of applying hair cosmetics.

How can it be treated?

There are many companies peddling hair loss cures. Don’t let these magical cure companies mislead you with their before-and-after pictures and guaranteed hair regrowth. The solution to your lost tresses does not lie outside. By taking a good look at your body basics you will not only treat your hair but also find a cure for the silent ailments that are attacking your health.[www.indiaparenting.com]

Ever wanted to make an impression with the clothes you wear or wondered which colours suit you the best? Here are some helpful tips.
The first impression is often the lasting one. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that the image you project is a favourable one. To do this, one needs to understand the right kind of colours that complement you and the kind of dress that would suit you best.

The first step to making an impression is in understanding how colours in fashion are classified. Colours are classified according to seasons. If you wear warm colours then you follow a spring colour system. If cool colours are your thing then you are a winter person. In between these two are warm and muted autumn and cool and muted summer.

What colours say about you

The colours that you choose to wear reflect your personality. People who wear predominantly blue shades appear not only cool but peaceful and calm as well. Soft greens and browns will also have the effect of making you appear peaceful. On the other hand, a colour like red will project an image of striking confidence. Red is a colour associated with authority and power. It is important to take into consideration the kind of image that you want to portray and select the colour appropriately. Wearing a colour that contradicts what you want to portray may cause misinterpretations. For example if you are a peaceful yet talkative and determined kind of person and wear red at an interview, you may come across as overbearing.

Colour of your skin tone

The nature of your skin also plays a role in the kind of shades that you can wear. A person with blemished skin should avoid solid colours, especially extreme colours that are very dark or very light. A person with reddish blemishes or pinkish tones on the cheeks or across the nose should ideally avoid deep red colours such as wine red or burgundy.

Clothes to wear

A person with a petite build will often have to alter a readymade garment for that perfect fit. Bootleg trousers tailored to fit will give an appearance of longer legs. Strappy heeled shoes will help give an added boost. Fitting dresses such as sweaters in colder seasons, accentuated by a knee length coat, will give an overall slim line silhouette. Clothes that are styled for a petite body frame will have slimmer lapels and shorter sleeves. T-shirts and shirts will have shorter bodies and the armholes will be slightly higher. Flowing dresses will accentuate the form. Scarves or narrow belts that hang and taper towards the legs will make a person appear taller.[www.indiaparenting.com]

Even if your tweens or teens don’t like the taste of plain milk, there are still plenty of ways to get calcium in the diet:

• Try a flavored low-fat or fat-free milk, such as chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. Flavored milk has just as much calcium as plain.
• Serve foods that go with milk, such as fruit bars and fig bars.
• Drink low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt smoothies for breakfast or a snack. You can make these at home or try one of the ready-made versions now available at many grocery stores.
• Keep portable, calcium-rich foods on hand for snacks on the run, such as low-fat or fat-free string cheese or individual pudding cups with calcium added.
• In moderation, low-fat or fat-free ice cream and frozen yogurt are calcium-rich treats.
• Serve non-milk sources of calcium, such as calcium-fortified soy beverages or orange juice with added calcium.
• Try a spinach salad or have fresh or cooked broccoli.

By: Ion Stivenson

It is possible to enhance your intelligence quotient in a matter of 10 minutes. Some techniques to do so are discussed below.

Don’t you want to enhance your IQ? Of course, you can use the brain power exercises and techniques. But these are long term and you would need to regularly practice them. What if you want to boost your IQ now, when you don’t have more than 10 minutes. You would need all your IQ for any important meeting, or a test or any other major event in your life. If you really need some concrete results and not argue about intelligence, try the following techniques.

Breath To Increase Intelligence Quotient

Breath deeply through your nose. This will relax you immensely and help you remain calm and composed. Deep breathing infuses oxygen into your blood and therefore into your brain and enhances its functioning. A relaxed brain will be far more efficient. Also nose breathing uses the diaphragm more, so lungs draw more air. This is the simplest and shortest way to enhance your intelligence quotient immediately.

Another level of relaxation through breathing is meditation. Sit in whatever posture you are comfortable and concentrate on your breathing. With eyes closed, breath through your nose initially and this will truly calm and relax you. you will have thoughts interfering but just ignore them and keep your focus on your breathing. Do this for a few minutes.

Posture and exercise can improve your IQ

The posture you take while at any problem will surely affect the intelligence at your disposal. Just observe the difference when you solve a math problem slouching and sleeping while you do the same sitting upright. The latter posture will definitely be better since you can think a lot better like that.

You need to exercise, but not a very hectic regime as such. Exercise just enough to pump blood into your brain. Walking works for many but a better alternative to boost your IQ is aerobics.

Sleep also is very crucial for proper brain functioning. But the quality of sleep is also important apart from the duration of sleep.

Diet to Boost IQ

One tree whose leaves do certainly increase blood flow into brain is ginkgo biloba tree. You can use its leaves either in tea or in form of capsules. It also helps improve your memory power and concentration. The effect is immediate and it lasts long if regularly used.

Caffeine is certainly a IQ booster. It has been proved that any test taken after consuming caffeine in some form or the other does increase your scores. But do remember, that the effect is only temporary and caffeine if used longer can have adverse side effects too.

Give up sugar. Any carbohydrate if taken beyond a limit, can blur your thinking. Insulin gets injected into your blood stream after you have sugar and thus diminishes your ability to think. Avoid all carbohydrates like white flour, sugar, potatoes if you want to think clearly.

Results matter in the end

Experts will endlessly debate if the above techniques can really boost one’s IQ. But there are times when it is very crucial for you to score high in a test. The above techniques if are found to be IQ booster, why not use them rather than wasting time in thinking if IQ really gets boosted or not. What matters is the score you get in the IQ test. So if you sleep well, have coffee and think sitting straight and if all this boosts IQ, there is no harm in doing the above techniques. These will prepare you better to face any task. Hence, be wise and don’t debate any more on IQ and its definitions.

I am sure you all know Henry Ford. What was his IQ, any idea? Why bother? He was the most creative thinker of the last century and he was so because he was always in the company of intelligent people. That alone is a direct 20 point in IQ. I hope you get the point I state here.

You are concerned about results. Hence if you want to be creative resort to such techniques of finding a solution. There are techniques available to try out anything. Try your hands at speed reading and you will have double the grasp on the subject you read. What the world will see are the results or achievements you garner in your lifetime. The Monalisa, the Empire State building, etc, are what the world will remember and not your score in IQ tests.

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By: bdd7707

he main sources of pollution are:

· Industry

· Transports

· Volcano eruptions

· Natural fires

· Dust storms

· Housekeeping activities

The main polluter in the world is nowadays the industry. During the industrial process, harmful substances are set free into the atmosphere, causing local catastrophes when special filters are inexistent for purging the residual gases. Depending on the height of the furnaces and on the atmospheric conditions, the gases can spread locally or at big distances. All these gases will finally end up on the soil, and studies have proven the fact that up to 40 km of soil around the metallurgic works are affected by the gases these works produce.

Transports are another source of pollution. In
USA 60% of the gas pollution is caused by auto vehicles and in certain city like LA or Chicago the percentage is raised to 90%. The combustion engine is the main responsible for all this pollution. The vehicles are eliminating gases very near to the earth, leading to high concentrations of gas in the atmosphere, even for low density gases. The volume, nature and concentration of the car pollutants are depending on the type of vehicle, the nature of fuel and the car’s technical conditions of functioning. Some of these pollutant substances are: particles in suspension, sulphur dioxide, lead, methane, benzene, and asbestos. All these substances are creating the smog.

Volcano eruptions are also harmful to nature as they generate liquid and solid gas products which not only harm the surrounding relief but also the atmosphere’s purity. A volcano eruption will form thick clouds made of dust, ash and water vapors. These suspensions can remain in the atmosphere up to 2 years. The powder that comes from volcano eruptions is considered to contribute to the green house effect created by increased CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.

Natural fires are a source of smoke and ash and happen when climate humidity lowers below the natural crisis level. This phenomenon is mostly found in the tropical areas but can also appear in US during the droughty years.

The housekeeping activities are contributing to the pollution in different ways and we don’t even realize it. For warming a house some people depend on wood and so, every year millions of trees are being cut down and used as firewood.

In USA, every year 130 million of tons of firewood are being consumed and this quantity covers only for 3% of the consumption energy. Households like sewage, detergents, domestic…(read the whole article at the link below)

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www.environmentboard.com/blog/2007/08/15/the-main-sources-of-pollution/

By: Ingrid Sure

In the last couple of years scientists observed a definite increase in the Earth’s temperature and studied carefully its unwanted consequences. Today, the Internet is filled with information about how to fight global warming, how to protect our planet and hope for a greener future.
But how did a young man from UK discovered that a successful business can also mean a greener planet?
If you ever find yourself in need of a cab, then you should definitely resort to eco cabs, as they represent a healthy and smart alternative to other means of transportation. Using renewable fuel, meaning biodiesel, taxi services contribute to the protection of the environment and fight against worldwide pollution. Their services are invaluable as they can take you where you need do go and at the same time add their contribution to the global warming cause.
The idea of biofuel has been considered for some time now and today eco cabs are vehicles that run on plant-based oil. They are the basis of a very successful business assuring transport for various communities, from Hadrians Wall, Newcastle (upon Tyne) to Northumberland and Haydon Bridge. If you want to ride in a luxury car towards your destination and still feel right about using a vehicle, then this taxi service is perfect for you. Eco cabs make all the difference in the world when it comes to saving the environment and we all have something to learn from their attitude.
No matter if you need to go to the airport or in any other direction, eco taxis are the best choice. Not only they are ready to help you with pre-booked airport drop offs but also fulfill any special conditions you might have for transportation (car seat for kids or surplus luggage). Their service is professional and committed and just like taxis in Newcastle they can take you at all important places. The only and big difference is the use of environmentally-friendly fuel, biodegradable and 100% safe. You do not have to worry anymore about greenhouse gas emissions and polluted air. You only have to sit back and enjoy a ‘green’ ride.
If we don’t learn how to protect our planet, who will? Global warming has become a serious problem and it’s high time to learn how to be responsible. If everybody would just pitch in, the crisis wouldn’t be so big and maybe some of the consequences would be stopped. Eco cabs operate on a non-stop basis; the drivers and its owner begin dedicated to living in a healthier environment, free of pollutants and gas emissions. You too can travel anywhere to Maftey Hall, Hexham or Tynedale with their cars, fully equipped and ready to go. The environmental aspect of the business is what made them so successful and they totally deserve all the appreciation we can give. There is no other taxi service in UK and probably in the entire world so committed to the green cause and the protection of the environment. It is more than great to be able to provide an environmentally friendly taxi service, respecting at the same time the fundamentals. With eco cabs, you get high-quality service, increased comfort and the possibility to do something for your environment. Consider that the next time you need to take a cab. You might not see the difference right away but in time… it will certainly pay off!

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By: Mistina Thomson

Many times we have read about cases of companies spending thousands of
dollars to take care of flooded storm water drains which have been
filled up with hazardous waste. Companies may have to shell out thousands
of dollars in terms of fines also to the government agencies. Also
traditional methods of stopping the leak like placing sand bags and bags are
not as effective and by the time they are placed to stop the leak, it
might be too late altogether. There could also be unregulated costs
incurred by the organization for production downtime.

The introduction of the safe drain system from Safedrai.com ensures
100% containment of ground water in case of a hazardous spill. All the
products are easy to install and extremely durable to ensure high level
performance for several years. All the products are manufactured of
stainless steel as a result of which they don’t get damaged even when
blocking leaks that has hazardous chemicals. The spill or leakage is
contained above the ground as a result of which it can e cleaned up in quick
time. Preventing and taking care of leaks with the help of Safedran.com
ensures that the company does not have to shell out thousands of dollars
in the form of cleaning up costs or fines.

Today there are hundreds of companies from different fields such as
government organizations as well as aviation industries and technology
firms are completely satisfied after installing Safedrain products. The
products can be customized to fit the specific sized valves. All the
products are designed for heavy duty jobs and they are built of heavy duty
stainless steel. Safedrain helps to stop and prevent the hazardous
discharges so that they do not pass in the storm water drainage inlet.
Hence all the discharged products like chemicals can be disposed off or
recycled according to the requirements.

The system also has a filter as a result of which all the sediments and
trash can be separated form the water. The sediments can then be
easily collected and discharged as required. The Safedrain can also be used
to regulate the flow of water so that more time can be allowed for the
sediments to settle so that a flood can be prevented.

The drain with its powerful hydrocarbon filter is capable of removing
dirt and grease so that large volumes of water can flow in the drain
with ease. The best part of Safedrain is that the system can detect from
where the leak or discharges are taking place and hence helps to put a
stop to such discharges by identifying the source. Safedrain has been
trusted worldwide by industries for its safety standards and durability.
You can find several real life case histories on the site that describe
the excellent performance of the system in preventing damages in terms
of property and penalties.

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