Angelina Jolie has natural-looking lips. To achieve this look, follow the directions below, and most importantly, have fun!

1. Exfoliate your lips with a warm, wet wash cloth by wiping back and forth gently or use a lip scrub (try “the lip scrub"). Be careful not to overdo it - you don’t want your lips to become so irritated it’s counterproductive. Be gentle, you don’t want to burn yourself or irritate your skin.
2. Apply a good lip plumper (the most recent in lip enhancing technology). There are a few good brands that will literally plump up, smooth out and moisten your lips. For a natural alternative, cayenne pepper or salt can be used - but these can be irritating and drying to the lips. Apply a very small amount of the powder across the lips, and top with your favorite lip gloss. The cayenne will plump and colour the lips by making the blood flow increase (the same action the lip plumper create), and the gloss will provide shine and moisture.
3. Line and fill in your lips with a light brown or nude lip liner pencil (match your skin tone as closely as you can).
4. Apply a matte flesh-toned lipstick.
5. Blot the lipstick by gently pressing your lips closed with a tissue in-between them.

TIPS
• Alternatively, some lip glosses (like Lip Venom) use ginger and cinnamon to increase circulation in your lips to create fuller “bee-stung” looking lips. The cost of this beauty might be a slight burning feeling in your lips. However there is danger of an allergic reaction, so don’t lick your lips or your throat may swell up which is extremely dangerous.
• Reduce shine and make your lipstick last longer by adding an ever-so-thin layer of baby powder with a brush.
• If the look is a bit harsh for your taste, try adding some shine with clear gloss.
• Make-up artists like this trick, too. Add dimension by taking a liner about 2 shades darker than the lipstick and drawing in a “shadow line” under the middle of the bottom lip. This can be very tricky to master, so make sure you practice before you wear it out. Study pictures of celebrities who have similar lip shapes to your own and try to copy the shadow line found on them.
• Another way to make your lips appear fuller is to use a dark lip liner. Make your mouth into an “O” and apply to the corners of your mouth. Blend up and down with your finger.
• Try to constantly use a lip gloss that has peppermint, spearmint, or cinnamon in it, preferably Mentha shine from Bath and Body Works.
• Using medicated lip balms, such as Carmex is great for keeping your lips soft and beautiful. Also, they’re more receptive to treatments, such as plumping and infused lip glosses.
• If you have full lips, don’t use lip plumper.
• Lip plumpers only last for a given time (depends on brand). For more long term results, be sure to buy one that includes peptides that stimulate your own body into making more collagen. Take note and find out exactly what active ingredient is in your lip plumper so you can make an educated purchase decision.

WARNINGS
• Do not get so focused on your lips that you lose sight of how beautiful the rest of your face is.
• Nature usually shapes the lips to fit in with the other features on the face. The correct balance is much better than something completely out of proportion.
• Also do not forget that this ‘bee stung’ type look is just a fashion statement. Next year tiny lips, (which are cute) could be all the rage!
• If you do want to try the lipstick type so-called plumpers, read the online reviews, particularly the unbiased ones. It seems most of them do not work.
• A better attitude, a different style of clothing, or a different hair color might be a lot more important than attempting to mimic Hollywood’s current favorite lips.
• Be yourself. It is important that you do not get obsessed with getting someone else’s features. It is alright to enhance your looks and feel more attractive, but stay true to who you are and do not get obsessed over it.
• If a lipstick plumper hurts your lips it most likely has a chemical you are allergic to in it. Go for a higher up brand.
• If you’re putting on makeup, focus either your lips or your eyes, never both; it can look clownish.

The human body is 90% water at birth. The water content in the body of a grown-up person decreases to 70%. The water content drops to 50% with age.

- Water regulates the temperature of the body, it humidifies the air we breathe, it helps organs assimilate the nutrients and expel the toxins and excess salts. Water helps keep the blood pressure down, thus reducing the probability of a heart attack. The above “job description” for the water is not by any means complete. It’s just amazing that water can help you when you’re down in the mouth. Water can wash away the negative energy that builds up in your system during the day. That’s why I strongly recommend that you go to a swimming pool regularly, and take a shower right after you come home from work. Take a hot bath before going to bed. You’d better form a habit of showering every time you have a headache or one of those days.
I’m sure water can help you out.

- The body of a healthy individual can use up to 2-3 liters a day. This amount should be replenished, otherwise digestion and blood formation will be disrupted. You should drink at least 2 liters more if temperatures rise outside. Those who are engaged in sports, undergo treatment, or take vitamins should increase their daily intake of water. By the way, you shouldn’t drink water in a large swallow. Drink it slowly, pause for several seconds before swallowing.

How can you tell that your body isn’t getting enough water?

- During dehydration the skin gets dry, a person grows tired quicker than usual and finds it hard to concentrate. Other signs include headache, constipation, hypertension, allergic reactions, the kidneys don’t work well. The symptoms of a lack of water also include a recurrent infection of the genitourinary system, dry cough, pain in the back and joints.

Can you replenish the loss of water by drinking lots of soda pop or juice?

- Juice contains vitamins and calories, it’s rather a kind of food. Juice can’t be considered when it comes to water supply of the body. Therefore, you shouldn’t drink fruit juices to excess. The large amount of distilled water is bad for your health too because both bacteria and beneficial microelements have been removed from it. Distilled water is aggressive water. It has an increased solvent action. Drinking distilled water for a long time will result in the loss of mineral salts and cause damage to cardiovascular and bone system of your body. You’d better drink ordinary water.

Most Russians are unhappy about the taste and smell of tap water these days.

Brisk walking seems to benefit patients with prostate cancer in early stages, says a new study based on a survey of 1,455 US men diagnosed with the condition.

Scientists from the University of California and the Harvard School of Public Health, found that men who walked briskly, for at least three hours every week after diagnosis, were nearly 60 percent less likely to require a second bout of treatment.

‘The important point was the intensity of the activity - the walking had to be brisk for men to experience a benefit,’ said study co-author Erin Richman, postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, reports the journal Cancer Research.

The new study complements an earlier Harvard finding that physical activity post diagnosis could reduce disease-related mortality in a distinct population of men with prostate cancer, according to a California statement.

After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer among men in the US, and more than 217,000 US men are diagnosed with the disease every year, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Vigorous exercise and brisk walking have been consistently shown to have significant benefits on cardiovascular health, diabetes and many other diseases.

Courtesy: http://in.news.yahoo.com

The power wheelchair has gone through a huge amount of change since wheelchairs have been invented. They now offer people who have to use them the ability to roll much more smoothly, be more comfortable to sit in, and a much greater range of mobility and accessibility to buildings and other places that were previously unavailable to those with a handicap.

One of the biggest complaints from people with a handicap that prevents them from walking is that they can?t get around very easily by themselves. It?s easy to imagine why this would come as a very large hindrance to these people. By not being able to move about themselves, leading a normal life is impossible for them. But if they have one of these electrically powered wheelchairs, this problem is all but solved.

Not only can people in wheelchairs push themselves, but people who are in wheelchairs that are unable to push themselves can still get around by themselves in a different way. Actually, they get around in a different type of wheelchair. These wheelchairs have electrically powered motors attached to the wheels that can be controlled by the person sitting in the chair.

These strides have been made due to a few major factors. One of the biggest is the improvements made in battery technology. Because battery technology has advanced so much in recent years, it is now possible to have rechargeable batteries to power these wheelchairs. And not only that, but the batteries can now last for much, much longer than the previously could. This allows the wheelchair to be used for an entire day without needing to be recharged.

There are even some of these wheelchairs that can be controlled by a person?s mouth. And believe it or not, there exists a version that can climb stairs as well. Transportation and access is no longer a problem for anyone with limited or no use of their legs if they have one of these.

Newer wheelchairs are so much more advanced than their older counterparts that they barely even resemble each other. The power wheelchair is even more distinct than are traditional wheelchairs since they have motors, batteries, and controls as well.

Learn more about the power wheelchair at PowerWheelchair.org.

Tags: Disability, Disease and Illness, elderly, elderly care, electric wheelchair, family, home, Home and Family, illness, power wheel chair, power wheelchair, wheelchair

While flute maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia is undoubtedly the most admired Indian musician in Israel, it turns out that many Israeli women have relied on the soothing effect of his music to take them through testing times - pregnancy and labour pain.

“I have special yoga classes for pregnant women once a week and I always use Chaurasiaji’s music during these lessons. Most of the women develop a liking for it and have told me that his CDs were the first thing they put in their labour pack, while arranging the essentials", Tamar Bental, an India enthusiast and a Jerusalem based yoga teacher told agencies.

Hari Prasad Chaurasia
“I am a big fan of his and listening to his music makes my conviction stronger in the ability of arts to heal mind. I have been to all his four performances in Jerusalem", Bental added. An Israeli woman, Boggie, with a year and seven month old daughter, Eden, confirms this by saying that Chaurasia’s music was a big help in keeping her calm during a very prolonged contraction period in the labour room.

“I believe his music saw me through those difficult hours. I had instructed the staff to play his CD again and again. Though i do not have much exposure to India, I am hooked to his music", she said. Yet another Israeli woman, Anat, appreciated the “balming effect” of Chaurasia’s music which see feels can relieve one of all stress.

“I listened to his music all through my pregnancy. I was so certain about what music to carry with me to the Labour room. I took all the four CD’s of Hariprasad that i have in the house and nothing else", she said adding, “my daughter would certainly have developed a liking for it having heard it hundreds of times before facing the real world".

The maestro when posed with the question is a little surprised. “Bansuri is connected to nature in the true sense. It has no wires, no strings. It is possible that being a thing of the nature, it brings certain miraculous powers. After all it is also the instrument of Lord Krishna", he told.

Clearly the most popular Indian musician here, Chaurasia’s fourth performance in Jerusalem last Thursday was a much awaited event which drew his fans from all over the country.

The performance in front of a capacity crowd in Jerusalem Theatre’s biggest auditorium kicked off the musical segment, “On the wings of the Raga", of the three week long Indian festival to commemorate twenty years of Indo-Israel diplomatic ties.

Courtesy: http://wonderwoman.intoday.in

Want to get fitter? Start jogging backwards. It may sound awkward, but experts claim it protects the joints and burns more calories.

According to them, running backwards reduces impact on the joints and helps cope with knee and back problems. Overall it is a more efficient way of moving - in fact a fast-forward route to fitness.

jogging backwards
A study at the University of Oregon has suggested that reverse runners need to move at only 80 per cent of the speed of forward runners to gain the same physiological and fitness benefits.

Another study at Stellenbosch University in South Africa has shown that the technique can improve cardiovascular fitness, the Daily Mail reported.

For this study, researchers looked at the effects of a six-week, thrice-weekly backward-running programme on female students compared with a group who stuck to their regular activity schedule.

At the end of the study, the reverse runners were found to have significant decreases in oxygen consumption, meaning they had become aerobically fitter, and had lost an average 2.5 per cent body fat.

James Bamber, organiser of the UK’s backward races, says there are other subtle advantages. “Because you land and push off from the forefoot, your big toes are strengthened, which aids good posture.

“It improves co-ordination and has been proven to help cognitive functioning and reaction speed as a result,” he was quoted as saying.

Bamber says that running one lap of an athletics track backwards provides the fitness equivalent of running six laps forwards and that 100 steps in reverse produces the same benefits as 1,000 steps straight ahead.

Courtesy: http://wonderwoman.intoday.in

Stem Cell research, and its astounding potential, has been called one of the most important medical breakthroughs in decades. In 1989, cord blood banking was created for the purpose of collecting and storing this invaluable resource.

Why to Save Cord Blood?

1. Cord Blood Banking is a Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity to Protect Your Family’s Long-Term Health
Your baby’s umbilical cord blood is a rich source of special blood cells called stem cells. These cells are the body’s building blocks for blood, organs, tissue, and the immune system and are genetically unique to each baby. When you bank your baby’s cord blood, you preserve a unique biological resource that is like a ‘self-repair kit’ for your child and other possible family members.
A growing number of families everyday are choosing to bank their babies’ umbilical cord blood as a potential cure for dozens of cancers, blood disorders, immune and genetic diseases. This is especially true for families that have a history of disease. StemCyte offers many options to help families just like yours afford to save this precious resource.
There are many decisions to make during your pregnancy as well as preparation for the newest addition. Saving your baby’s stem cells should be one of them. Cord blood can only be collected in the first few minutes after birth, so you must make this decision by your 3rd trimester, if not sooner, so that you have your collection kit with you to bring to the hospital. In some instances, you can get a collection kit when you arrive at the hospital. Not all hospitals have this option, so you really should enroll sooner, if possible.

2. Cord Blood Stem Cells Hold the Power to Cure Today
Cord blood provides a rich source of stem cells for use in many situations where bone marrow is considered today. Cord blood stem cells are used in disease treatment to fight over 80 diseases including many forms of malignancies such as leukemia, autoimmune diseases, lupus, and inheritable diseases such as sickle cell anemia.
Doctors have increasingly turned to cord blood stem cells as a life-saving alternative to bone marrow transplants. There is a lower probability of graft vs. host disease (GVHD) and a greater likelihood of finding an appropriate tissue type match because the match does not need to be as exact as for bone marrow.
Stem cell research is exploring new applications for treatment every day. This research may prove effective in the future treatment of many common diseases and injuries that plague today’s society, including spinal cord injury, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, and HIV.

3. Cord Blood Stem Cells are Genetically Unique
Your baby’s cord blood cells are a perfect match for your baby, should he or she ever need a stem cell transplant. In technical terms, it is a perfect 6 out of 6 HLA tissue type match, ideal for transplantation. Your baby’s stem cells have a 50% chance of being a match for a sibling. Cord blood stem cells may also be a match for a parent.

4. Bank on the Future of Emerging Research
With successful transplants and breakthroughs in stem cell research occurring every day, more and more expectant parents have chosen to bank their newborn’s cord blood.
Previous odds someone in your family needed a transplant were 1 in 2700. Just a few years later those odds increased to 1 in 400. These odds however, do not include emerging therapies.
Researchers are already studying the effects that cord blood stem cells have on spinal cord injury, brain injury, type 1 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and even HIV. As stem cell science advances, the importance of saving these cells increases exponentially.
Private cord blood banking enables you to store your baby’s stem cells for a guaranteed perfect genetic match with your child. Since cord blood can be stored indefinitely at this point, private cord blood banking is both a safeguard against diseases treatable today and a real hope for more treatment possibilities tomorrow.

5. Your Family History Does Matter
If your family has a history of disease that can be treatable with cord blood, the odds that your baby or their sibling may need a cord blood transplant increases. The number of diseases treated continues to grow with the research efforts of companies like StemCyte. We strongly encourage families to bank cord blood from all of their pregnancies in the event a sibling transplant may be a better or only treatment than an autologous treatment.
Additionally, families with an ethnic or mixed-race background may have difficulty finding a match should they ever need a stem cell transplant. Most public banks have a larger Caucasian volume of cord blood units than any other type. Although StemCyte has one of the largest, most ethnically diverse cord blood inventories in the world. More families are still choosing to save their newborn’s cord blood for peace of mind.

Courtesy: https://www.stemcyte.com

No hitting the snooze button for Sandy and Bette Baldwin, a couple who love their active life in the St. Andrews Estate retirement community in Boca Raton, Fla.

They could choose to ease into morning after a lifetime of working hard and raising a family, but not these two. The Baldwins set an alarm, get out of bed by 6:30 and lace up running shoes — except on the two days of the week when they work on resistance training and balance.

“We want to do everything we can to stay healthy,” says Sandy Baldwin, 64. “I’ll run until I can’t anymore, and then I’ll walk or go bicycling.”

Experts on aging, concerned about the 77 million Baby Boomers and the rapidly growing older population, say more people need to adopt the Baldwins’ commitment to physical activity. More than 62% of adults do not meet the exercise guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research shows the Baldwins are more likely to avoid age-related diseases and remain independent longer than those who do not exercise. The Baldwins live in a continuous-care facility but hope they never need to move to the nursing-home level.

• MORE: Exercise has colonel’s attention

“Exercise is the closest thing we have to a fountain of youth,” says Marie Bernard, deputy director of the National Institute of Aging. “With all the gains we’ve made over the years allowing people to live longer, it would be nice if more people would take advantage of exercise to improve the quality of a longer life.”

A rash of new research is exploring how exercise late in life can be beneficial and help people age in place at home rather than be forced into care facilities. Barbara Resnick, incoming president of the American Geriatrics Society, is conducting research to find ways to get people off walkers and see them ultimately “walk all the way to heaven.”

‘It makes us feel better’

Maintaining the independence and mobility of older adults is emerging as a national health priority, Resnick says. The proportion of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to increase from 12% to 20% of the population by 2030.

Exercise is more important the older we get, she says.

The Baldwins, who have been running together for 25 years, take to heart findings that show exercise can be a buffer against many age-related problems, including dementia and the muscle and bone loss that ultimately leads to frailty and loss of independence. Exercise also reduces the risk of getting heart disease and type 2 diabetes and helps prevent depression.

“We want to stay active as long as we can,” says Bette Baldwin, 64. “We know exercise is good for the brain, cardiovascular fitness and osteoporosis. We also know it makes us feel better.”

They want to be active and avoid illnesses that have immobilized three sets of friends.

Being in shape helps recovery

The guidelines established for older adults by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services require 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise and two or more days of weight training that involve all the major muscle groups.

In her new book, The Complete Guide to Fitness and Health, exercise physiologist Barbara Bushman of Missouri State University says every person needs his or her own fitness routine, but all must include resistance training for muscle and bone health. Over the course of adulthood, muscle decreases, and the amount of body fat increases. As muscles contract to lift, push or pull a heavy object, stress put on the bone increases its mass. This makes bones stronger over time. Weak muscles and bones can lead to falls and broken bones, and time spent doing rehabilitation in nursing homes.

Most people do not understand the effect of deconditioning, says Gregg Warshaw, chair of the division of geriatrics at the University of Cincinnati.

“We get more illnesses as we get older,” he says. “If you’re in good shape and you get bad illnesses, you’re likely to recover faster. That’s another reason why exercise is so important to people as they age.”

It’s never too late to get some benefit, he says, but at some point, the progression of frailty might be hard to stop.

Frailty, says Katalin Roth, a geriatrician and internist in Washington, D.C., can be a downward cascade that leads to hospitalization and death. It is a “constellation of symptoms shown to be markers of dependence and is highly prevalent in old age. Among the symptoms are poor exercise tolerance, weight loss, decreased strength and a slow walking gait.”

Nationwide study has begun

A paper published 10 years ago in the journal Gerontologist gave physicians a guideline for identifying frailty, says Bernard, but little research establishes how to prevent it. “We could always say exercise is good for you, but we haven’t been able to say yet it prevents disability,” she says.

Marco Pahor, head of the aging institute at the University of Florida, is involved in a nationwide study that aims to change that.

Millions of older people are at risk for disability, Pahor says.

“There is an epidemic of sedentary lifestyle and obesity in this country,” he says, “and a second epidemic of an aging nation. Studies show the chance of someone 65 or older ending up in a nursing home is about 50%.”

Seven other universities are also taking part in the research, known as Lifestudy. It involves 1,600 participants in a study comparing a moderate-intensity physical-activity program with a healthy-aging education program to determine what might be effective in preventing frailty. It is based on a pilot program, Pahor says, that showed those who were guided by instructors on moderate physical-activity plans did better than those who got doctors’ advice alone.

“But will (exercise) truly change a person’s life?” Pahor asks. “Keep them out of a nursing home? Let them walk across a room? We hope this trial provides this evidence. We need to find ways to keep people independent and at home.”

Pahor says researchers also are studying the effects of physical activity on cognitive, cardiovascular and sleep patterns, “all secondary outcomes of this study.” And the study will examine the cost of the intervention. “How much money could be saved by keeping people healthy?”

Study participants are in their 70s and identified as being at high risk for disability, says Anne Newman, who is leading the research at the University of Pittsburgh. “I’m surprised how many people say they don’t know if they can walk 400 meters,” she says. Doing the research “is the only way we’ll know if physical activity is the secret. We’ll be able to find out if it ever gets too late for physical activity to help.”

Pahor says the University of Florida is one of many campuses doing pharmaceutical research to find other ways to stop aging, “but so far, there’s nothing more promising than physical activity.”

The reality of aging?

Resnick is a professor of nursing at the University of Maryland, where most of her research has been done on how to motivate older adults to exercise. “They have fear about exercise, are afraid it will hurt, or they’re lazy,” she says. She’s been treating patients at the Roland Park Place, a continuous-care facility in Baltimore, for nearly 30 years and has seen how the smallest amounts of exercise can help.

The average age of her patients is 90. She encourages people in independent living to exercise but also studies how exercise helps nursing-home residents get off walkers and walking again.

“I had one 100-year-old patient who couldn’t see enough to open the door to the exercise room,” Resnick says. “But she’d open her eyes in the morning, look at me and say, ‘Can I go exercise now?’ And we’d go to the exercise room.”

The Baldwins are closely watching the “older people” at St. Andrews Estates.
“There are days we miss (exercise), but not many,” Bette Baldwin says.

“We have a lot of good role models here who are in their 90s. They’re on treadmills and stair-step machines. If more people would do that, they’d be happier, healthier and live longer.”

Courtesy: http://yourlife.usatoday.com

Dr. William LaValley from Austin Texas, is one of the top natural medicine cancer physicians. He recently shared this important information on curcumin which has the most evidence based literature for as a cancer support than any other nutrient. There are over 100 different pathways that curcumin has an effect on once it gets into the cell. Interestingly this also includes the metabolite of curcumin and its derivatives which are also anti-cancer. Curcumin appears to be safe in the treatment of all cancers.

In India where turmeric is widely used, the prevalence of four common U.S. cancers – colon, breast, prostate and lung – is 10 times lower. In fact, prostate cancer, which is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in U.S. men, is rare in India and this is attributed, in part, to the curcumin in turmeric.

Numerous studies have looked into this potential cancer-fighting link, with promising results. For instance, curcumin has been found to:
• Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells
• Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor
• Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body
• Decrease inflammation
• Enhance liver function
• Inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation
• Prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth

And according to researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, curcumin blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers.

The spice actually stops laboratory strains of melanoma from proliferating and pushes the cancer cells to commit suicide by shutting down nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-k, a powerful protein known to induce abnormal inflammatory response that leads to an assortment of disorders such as arthritis and cancer.

To get the full benefits that curcumin has to offer, you will want to look for a turmeric extract with at least 95% curcuminoids that contains only 100% certified organic ingredients.

The formula should be free of fillers, additives and excipients (a substance added to the supplement as a processing or stability aid), and the manufacturer should use safe production practices at all stages: planting, cultivation, selective harvesting, and then producing and packaging the final product.

Details on How to Use Curcumin

The unfortunate challenge as this time is that there are not really any very good formulations of curcumin available to use in cancer. This is because relatively high doses are required and curcumin is not absorbed that well. Typical anticancer doses are up to three grams of good bioavailable curcmin extract, three to four times daily.

One work around for this is to use the curcumin powder and make a microemulsion of it by combining a tablespoon of the powder and mixing it into 1-2 egg yolks and a teaspoon or two of melted coconut oil. Then using a high speed hand blender to emulsify the powder.

Another strategy you can use to increase absorption is to put one tablespoon of the curcumin powder into a quart of boiling water. It must be boiling when you add the powder as it will not work as well if you put it in room temperature water and heat the water and curcumin. After boiling it for ten minutes you will have created a 12% solution and you can drink this once it has cooled down. The curcumin will gradually fall out of solution over time and in about six hours it will be a 6% solution so it is best to drink the water within four hours. It does have a woody taste.

One caution to know is that you want to avoid the “yellow kitchen” syndrome. Curcumin is a very potent yellow pigment and can permanently discolor surfaces if you aren’t careful. So you can perform the mixing under the hood of your stove with the blower on to make sure no powder gets into your kitchen.

Adopted with courtesy from: http://articles.mercola.com

If you’ve ever taken a break from work or studying to take a quick walk around the block, you may understand the rationale for this next tip. Exercise not only exercises the body, it exercises the brain as well.

Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases and conditions that eventually wreak havoc on the brain, including stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. Without regular exercise, plaque builds up in the arteries and blood vessels lose the ability to pump blood effectively. While you may know how plaque builds-up leads to heart attacks, you may not think about the way your brain is gasping for breath as well.

The brain depends on energy received through a constant intake of oxygen and nutrients from the bloodstream, and when those nutrients don’t arrive, the brain’s ability to work is compromised. So to keep the blood moving to the brain, you’re going to need to get up from your chair (after you finish reading this article, of course) and get the blood pumping. It doesn’t matter what you do – a brisk walk, a swim and even a dance move or two can all provide a good mental workout. Studies show that the more physically active a person is, the greater his or her cognitive performance [source: Victoroff].

Keep a lookout on your brisk walk for interesting images – you’ll need them for the memory tip on the next page.

Courtesy: http://curiosity.discovery.com

In a perfect world, you’d have all the time you needed to exercise, but sometimes it’s hard to set aside time for fitness. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends two and a half hours of aerobic exercise a week – a little more than 20 minutes a day – even a less than ideal amount of exercise is better than remaining idle. Next time you’re pressed for time, squeeze in a 10-minute workout.

• Strength Routine
Start with a 12-repetition set of back stretches: While standing, lace your fingers together behind your head so your elbows point forward in front of your face; lean forward until you touch your knees, then return standing. Follow with muscle-building sets of deep knee bends, push-ups, dips using your bed to elevate your feet, calf raises and leg raises. Wrap up your miniature workout with a set of bicycle crunches, a variation on the standard crunch: When you sit up, raise one knee toward your head, and twist your body to touch it with your opposite elbow. Perform this set until failure.

• Shadowboxing Workout
Warm up by holding your hands in front of your face in boxer’s position, vigorously stepping side to side for a minute, then add deep dips to your stepping motion for the next minute. Once you’re warmed up, continue your foot motion as you practice sets of 10 to 16 repetitions of punches with each arm, cycling through jabs, cross punches and uppercuts. Throw each punch with full force to receive the full cardio benefit of this full-body workout routine.

• Jumping Rope
After jumping rope for 10 minutes, you’ll realize it’s not just kids’ stuff. Start by skipping normally with your feet together for a minute, then jump from side to side for another two minutes. Alternate 10 hops on each leg for two minutes. Add other actions, such as jumping jacks, jumping forward or backward with each skip to finish your 10-minute routine.

• Walking
Merely getting out of the office or your home for a brisk 10-minute walk has its health benefits. Rick Bradley’s 15-minute “Quick Fit” program hinges upon a 10-minute stretch of aerobic activity, and he recommends walking for beginners. Although you won’t burn many calories in a 10-minute walk, you’ll receive cardiovascular benefits if you walk quickly enough to raise your heart rate.

Adopted from an article by: Wilhelm Schnotz, Demand Media, courtesy: http://healthfitness.frs.com

Post-menopausal women can face a variety of health issues. Exercise is a key part of staying healthy.

Why Exercise is Important for Post-Menopausal Women?

• Exercise helps prevent osteoporosis by keeping bone and cartilage tissue strong and healthy.
• Exercise reduces the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases by increasing heart and respiratory rates.
• Exercise keeps your joints moving and keeps the muscles around your joints strong. This helps in the prevention of arthritis.
• Exercise will help to maintain regular bowel function, a common problem as people become older.
• Exercise will improve a woman’s overall health and fitness by controlling weight, making the heart stronger and retaining a sense of well-being and alertness.

Exercise Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a decrease in bone mineral density. Weight-bearing exercises are essential in preventing osteoporosis. These exercises cause weight to be placed on the bones, especially the hips, legs and spine. The weight placed on the bone helps slow deterioration of the bone.

Good Exercises for Post-Menopausal Women:

• Experts agree that walking is the best form of exercise for post-menopausal women. It can be done anywhere, at anytime and promotes social interaction. Donald E. Waite, D.O., MPH, professor emeritus, Department of Family Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., suggests that people walk in shopping malls. Shopping malls are extremely safe, plus you don’t need to worry about the weather, he says.
• Light weight training will help build muscle mass and keep muscles tone.
• Low-impact aerobics is great for increasing heart and respiratory rates, which helps keep vital organs healthy.
• General activity is also urged. Older women should go outside and wash the car or work in the garden.

Exercise should be done daily for at least 30 minutes. If not, then at least three times a week. “Any activity is better than no activity,” says Waite.

Courtesy: http://www.osteopathic.org

Pain in either of the hips or both the hips may be caused due to any reason but it is very painful. One might face severe pains while getting-up or moving around.

Nobody can restrict his/her movements; therefore medical treatment could be the only alternative.

But what could be the best way out. Pain-killer is no solution.

In most of the cases, the patient could gain relief from the following measures:
1. Mild massage on the designated points at the backside, buttock crease and back of the thighs.
2. Cold-packs/hot-packs massage, twice a day
3. Physical exercise.
Video for Hip-exercise has been found very effective. Please forward your valuable comments

Kelly Brooks fitness routine

Ina recent UK survey conducted by Fitness First Kelly Brook was voted the best celebrity body. Brook is an advocate of having a healthy weight loss program.

“It’s about doing the activities that you enjoy in order to keep moving and stay active,” Kelly says of her healthy weight loss program.

Kelly Brook, 29, is without doubt one of the UK’s most attractive and fittest celebrities. She is also one of the most energetic, bouncy and fun loving.celebrities, according to Health & Fitness magazine. Kelly Brook has in the past made tongue-in-cheek claims that her fitness and weight loss is due to having lots of special cuddles with her partner. However, she now reveals that it is her love of dancing which is the true key to her healthy weight loss success, as well as more traditional fitness exercises.

So, how does she stay in such great shape? What is Kelly Brook’s healthy weight loss diet plan? How does Kelly Brook do her fitness exercise program?

Kelly Brooks’ Healthy Weight Loss Diet Plan

Kelly Brook’s healthy weight loss diet plan is the macrobiotic weight loss diet plan that is based on selecting foods that are less processed and therefore more natural together with using the traditional means of cooking. However, Kelly at times cheats on her weight loss diet plan and treats herself with eating cheeseburgers. “I’m a fan of the macrobiotic weight loss diet plan because I love the idea of eating what’s growing in your surroundings – seasonal, organic and whatnot.” (But) I really love cheeseburgers – that’s my biggest weakness,” Kelly claims.

Kelly Brook’s weight loss diet plan encourages her to eat whole grains like brown rice and grain products such as pasta, several cooked and raw vegetables and bean products such as tofu, sea vegetables, mild natural seasoning, fish, fruit, nuts, seeds as well as mild beverages. Furthermore, foods to be consumed by Kelly must be organically grown and eaten fresh.

Tips for staying in shape

Fitness exercise and Weight loss Tip#1
Be realistic: She told Health & Fitness that as she approaches 30, she realizes that she has to do much more to continue to look great. When she was younger, it was relatively easy, but now a good weight loss diet plan and a disciplined fitness exercise program are essential. Her main fitness exercise program and method of achieving a healthy weight loss is dancing, now, although she used to do a lot of cardio exercise by walking and doing Pilates exercise. But she says that her fitness exercise program of dancing actually built more muscle and better definition that any of her previous fitness programs, and that she felt a lot better mentally as well as physically for being dance fit.

Fitness exercise and Weight loss Tip#2
Stay motivated:

Kelly Brook says that a variety in your fitness exercise program and weight loss is the key to staying motivated. She soon gets bored after doing a fitness program as a means for having a healthy weight loss, so mixing up her fitness exercise program really helps. She does a lot of dancing and dance fitness exercises, and adds exercise equipment such as dumbbells and exercise balls to her dance fitness exercise program. She also does cardio exercise by running, doing hula hoops, doing aqua aerobics fitness exercise or traditional circuit fitness training outside. She gains a lot of inspiration and advice from her personal fitness trainer Tamavah Ahmad, who is Rebook’s UK master fitness trainer.

Kelly is also happy to do someweight fitness training exercise. She says that women who avoid weight fitness training for fear of bulking up are “living in a dream world” or just using it as an excuse to avoid any kind of fitness exercise program. Her advice for people that cannot afford a personal fitness trainer is to find a friend that they can do their fitness exercise program with, as this is also a great way to stay motivated.

Keys to Kelly Brook’s great figure
• Exercise equipment such as stability Ball exercises to strengthen the core muscles, including pikes and dorsal raises.
• Cardio exercise like running for endurance and cardiovascular fitness
• Body weight circuit fitness training exercise for full body fitness exercise program amd muscle toning.
• Dancing also as part of her cardio exercise program, flexibility and lots of fun!

Courtesy: http://www.howcelebritiesloseweight.com

Cucumber for dark circles, Tea bags for puffy eyes, and Vinegar for dandruff can be a part of your beauty regime.,

You’ve been out all day in the hot sun, your face is tanned and dark. Your eyes are puffy and tired after hours at work.

With a glam party to attend in a couple of hours, what do you do when aren’t exactly looking like lady-killer material? By using these readily available kitchen products, you can spruce up your appearance within minutes. And the price is free!

Curd/Yogurt :Removing Tan and Soothing Sunburn

The summer sun has darkened your sun by several shades. Not a problem.

Apply a little homemade curd on the affected areas of the skin. It will not only help in soothing the sun burn but will also clear away the tan. If you don’t make curd at home, the packaged variety will also do. Do not use curd if you have oily or sensitive skin.

Lemon Juice & Glycerine: Removing Tan and Fairness.

While curd works well to remove tan, it’s not a good option for facial skin that’s sensitive, oily or susceptible to acne. Curd, rather, all milk products contain bacteria that may aggravate the problem of acne if applied directly to the skin. So a better option for acne ridden skin is to apply lemon juice mixed with glycerine. The mixture should be strictly on a 50-50 basis. Add equal amounts of lemon juice and glycerine, apply it on the face and keep it for 15 -20 minutes, and then wash it off with cold water.

Lemon Juice : Hair Lightening

Lemon juice, because it is mildly acidic, works well in lightening the color of hair. So if you want to lighten your hair color, rinse it with a mixture of three quarter cups of water and one quarter of lemon juice. Works better than those hair coloring products.

Cucumber : Tired Eyes and Dark circles

Tired and puffy eyes make you look overworked and fatigued. So while a good long nap would be a great idea, one of the best possible quick fix solutions would be to place a slice of cucumber on each eye and relax for a 20 -25 minutes.

Tea bags: Puffy Eyes and Foot Deodorant

Another very effective way of making tired, sore eyes sparkle with energy is to soak a tea bag in lukewarm water for a few minutes and then place one on each eye. Leave them there for about 20 minutes.

If you suffer from the infamous stinky feet syndrome, boil four to five tea bags or about three teaspoons of tea leaves in a quart of water and wait for it cool down to room temperature. Then add some cold water to the solution and soak your feet for 30 minutes. Dry your feet and apply medicated foot powder. At the height of your foot problem, follow this procedure twice a day, and once the odor is cured, do it twice a week for prevention.

Orange Juice : Skin Toning

Orange juice’s vitamin C content makes it an excellent toner. When massaged into the face, it helps in removing excess grime and grease that can’t be removed with soap alone. To make the toner, blend half an orange, one and a half teaspoons of lemon juice and a quarter of a cup of water. The mixture should be blended till it is smooth. Then soak a cotton ball in it and apply it on the face.

Yogurt, Gram flour and Turmeric : Improving complexion

For a smooth, clear and blemish free complexion, mix three spoonfuls of curd with a single spoon of Channa (gram) flour or besan and a small teaspoon of haldi (turmeric). Mix to make a thick, smooth paste. Apply evenly all over the face and leave it on for twenty minutes. Rinse it off with cold water.
Vinegar: Dandruff

Gently massage your scalp with a little malt vinegar, and leave on for 15-20 minutes. Wash off with a gentle herbal shampoo. For a serious dandruff problem, then repeat this procedure at least three times a week for two weeks.

Honey and Olive Oil: Hair conditioner

Make a smooth paste by mixing two spoonfuls of fresh honey with a single spoon of olive oil. Massage into your hair, starting with the roots and ending with the tips of your hair. Then, keep your hair covered with a shower cap and let the mixture seep in deep into your scalp. After 20 minutes, use a gentle herbal shampoo to rinse off the mixture.

Black Tea Bag: Lips

Soak a bag of black tea in warm water, and press it on your lips for about 10 minutes. You can repeat the procedure as many times as you want. Black tea’s high tannin content will make your lips taut and smooth.

Coriander Leaves : Lips

Massaging your lips with the juice of Coriander leaves (dhania) will makes your lips rosy and soft.

Grated Potatoes : Dark Circles

Potatoes contain catecholase, used as skin lighteners in cosmetics, and can also used to treat under eye circles. Grate a raw potato, squeeze the juice and apply it underneath the eyes. Leave it on for fifteen minutes and then rinse with cool water.

Courtesy: http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com

Arthritis is a very painful disease. It is also known as an old-age problem which attacks any of the joint(s). Usually it attacks the knee-joints’. In fact, it is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissues.

Most common symptoms of various arthritic conditions are:
• Inflammation of the joints
• Pain and stiffness
• Swelling of the joints
• Degenerative damage to the affected areas

Castor oil has been found very effective in gaining relief from arthritis pains. It can be used topically. It is slightly heated and applied on the affected areas that experience pain, swelling and inflammation.

You must ensure that the oil is not very hot, otherwise it can cause discomfort to the skin. Apply the oil and massage the skin in circular and up/down or sideways strokes. It will increase absorption by the skin. You can leave the area open or wrap it with a cotton cloth to keep the area warm.

The best time for this topical application is at night, before bed time. Leave the oil on all night as this will increase its absorption by your body. The increased absorption will lead to enhanced benefits.

According to Ayurveda, Castor oil taken orally works as a laxative and cures gas and bloating in the stomach. It detoxifies the stomach and helps in boosting the immune system, thereby reversing the autoimmune disease.

Arthritis is a common name used for a group of medical conditions.
Osteoarthritis (OA), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are the most common types of arthritis.

There are several ways to take it orally:
• Mix 2 tablespoons of oil in 1 cup of warm water and drink it before your morning tea or coffee
• You can also mix it in your morning tea and coffee
• Warm your favourite fruit or vegetable juice (not in a microwave) and mix 2 tablespoons in it
• In severe RA cases, boil 1 glass of water with 1/4 spoon of ginger powder. Strain, cool and add 2 spoons of the oil to the liquid before you drink it.

The best times for oral ingestion are early in the morning on an empty stomach or just before going to bed. You may start with 1 tablespoon and increase it to 2 or 3 tablespoons over 1 to 2 weeks.

Castor Oil possesses various healing properties:
• Relieves Pain
• Reduces Inflammation
• Reduces Swelling
• Increases lymphatic circulation
• Reduces flatulence
• Stimulates the liver and gall bladder
• Reduces toxins

Harvey Grady did a scientific study of the effect of topical application of castor oil on humans. His study found castor oil to be an antitoxin, and as having an impact on the lymphatic system, enhancing the immune function of the body. A two-hour topical application caused an increase in the number of T-11 cells and a large increase in total lymphocytes in the blood within a 24-hour period following treatment. Thus, it gave a boost to the body’s defense mechanism. T-cells find and kill viruses, bacteria, fungi, and cancer cells. Lymphocytes are responsible for protecting the body from pathogens and their toxins.

It was also used in ancient times in Egypt, the Middle East and Rome. The Castor bean plant is called as Palma Christi (Palm of the Christ) in the Bible.
Adopted from an article, Courtesy: http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com

Physical exercises have been found very effective in improving the blood circulation in the knee joints and strengthening it. It can be performed even if the joints are pain-free during middle-age.

Medicinal oils from the following source, have been found very comforting. If you desire, you may try. You may demand a refund if you are not satisfied.

As India grapples with a major public health problem, being home to an estimated 50.8 million diabetic population, the largest in the world, experts say consuming a few almonds daily can help combat the lifestyle disease.

‘Eating almonds has a positive effect on reducing low density cholesterol and also improves insulin sensitivity; so it does help in pushing diabetes away,’ says Ritesh Gupta, head of clinical operation at Fortis C-Doc Hospital.

‘It is a healthy source of fibre, protein and calories and has been found to have a positive effect in reducing bad cholesterol and improved insulin sensitivity,’ Gupta told IANS.

Diabetes is caused when there is deficiency of insulin hormone, which controls blood sugar levels. Its symptoms include fatigue, excessive thirst and frequent urination.

With an estimated 50.8 million people living with the disease, India has the world’s largest population of diabetics in the world, followed by China with 43.2 million, says the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The number in India is expected to go up to 87 million - 8.4 percent of the country’s adult population - by 2030.

With India staring at a major public health threat due to diabetes and other lifestyle diseases, almond is now being hailed as the health nut.

‘Indians are more prone to lifestyle diseases like diabetes. The increasingly sedentary lifestyle and fast food double up the risk. Almond, which has traditionally been part of our diet, is a high source of nutrition and helps push these diseases away,’ says Anoop Misra, director of Diabetes Foundation (India).

‘A handful of almonds contains 164 calories and 7 gm of protein, which helps in fighting hunger pangs and helps you control what you eat. Almonds also help growing children in developing strong bones,’ he adds.

A study done by scholars from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, West Chester University, Pennsylvania, and Loma Linda University of California, all in the US, and published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition also confirms that the nut can control diabetes if consumed regularly.

‘A diet consisting of 20 percent of calories as almonds over a 16-week period is effective in improving markers of insulin sensitivity and yields clinically significant improvements in LDL-C (low density lipoprotein cholesterol) in adults with pre-diabetes,’ the study said.

‘We have made great strides in chronic disease research, from evidence of effective treatment to evidence of effective prevention,’ said Michelle Wien, assistant research professor in nutrition at Loma Linda University’s School of Public Health.

She was also the principal investigator for the study, which was conducted at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

‘Low density cholesterol is the cholesterol which blocks the arteries. According to the study, the intake of almonds had a significant effect on reducing the levels, along with improving insulin sensitivity,’ said Karen Lapsley, chief scientific officer of the Almond Board of California, which was an associate in the study.

‘It’s also very easy to consume, one can have it any time, so it merges well with the hectic lifestyle,’ Lapsley said.

Gupta, however, adds that indiscreet consumption of almonds alone will not help and it should be seen as a percentage of total calorie intake.

‘It is not that one can eat anything and pop five almonds. It has to be seen as a percentage of total calorie intake. The rest of the diet is as important,’ he added.

Courtesy: http://in.news.yahoo.com
(Anjali Ojha can be contacted at anjali.o@ians.in)

LIFT BIG - Give your muscles a reason to grow. Don’t do endless sets, be intense. Go heavy, but don’t remain much longer than an hour. Train 3-4 days a week. Hit failure and make that last set count.

EAT BIG - You must eat to grow. For gaining, take 20Cal/lb bodyweight daily. Get 30g protein per meal. Eat 6 meals a day. Don’t be scared of fats. Cut junk food. You will crave chicken breasts, tuna shakes, pasta and chocolate milk.

SLEEP - Recovery is key. If you’re an meso/endomorph, get 8-9 hours a day, an ectomorph needs at least 6-7. You grow outside the gym, not in.

WATER WATER EVERYWHERE - Carry that gallon jug with you at all times. Drink 8 litres a day. Keeps you well-hydrated so you can train at your best and have your caloric needs in check.

COMMIT - If you’re not sick or injured, you must train. You start skipping… you might as well forget those dreams. You must want to become that impressive physique before you can begin building it. Get yourself a reliable training partner.

YOU AIN’T SQUAT ‘TIL YOU SQUAT - If you have legs, a desire to grow and your back is OK, you must squat. Without the king of exercises, your growth is going to suffer. Squats develop more than just legs.

CHANGEUP FREQUENTLY - Change your routine around frequently. Every 3-6 weeks, vary the order that you do your routine, or change your whole style altogether. Try HIT, super-slow, negative training, high volume, etc.

DON’T OVER TRAIN - A good routine is brief, intense, and only has a couple exercises per bodypart. Limit the total number of sets you do. If your progress is slowing, you’re getting injured or sick frequently, then it’s time to take a break. Take 4-6 days off, and then go back at it. Don’t be surprised if you’re stronger after your layoff.

HEAL - Once you’re injured, take a break. Lose 2 weeks training now, or prepare to keep those injuries forever.

FORM - Anyone can throw around the weights. Concentrate on good form, and then let the numbers follow. Get a full range of motion and be proud that you’re one of the few who actually trains properly.

Some older folks may worry that the efforts expended during sex could cause a stroke, that’s not so, according to researchers from England. In a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, scientists found frequency of sex was not associated with stroke in the 914 men they followed for 20 years.
And the heart health benefits of sex don’t end there. The researchers also found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who had sex less than once a month.

1. Sex Relieves Stress
Sex helps in lowering blood pressure and overall stress reduction as reported by researchers from Scotland in their findings in the journal Biological Psychology. They studied 24 women and 22 men who kept records of their sexual activity. Then the researchers subjected them to stressful situations – such as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic – and noted their blood pressure response to stress.
Those who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviours or abstained.
Another study published in the same journal found that frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure in cohabiting participants. Yet other research found a link between partner hugs and lower blood pressure in women.

2. Sex Burns Calories
Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.
“Sex is a great mode of exercise,” says Patti Britton, PhD, a Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists. It takes work, from both a physical and psychological perspective, to do it well, she says.

3. Sex Helps You Sleep Better
The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research.
And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. Something to think about, especially if you’ve been wondering why your guy can be active one minute and snoring the next.

4. Sex Improves Intimacy
Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps us bond and build trust. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina evaluated 59 premenopausal women before and after warm contact with their husbands and partners ending with hugs. They found that the more contact, the higher the oxytocin levels.
“Oxytocin allows us to feel the urge to nurture and to bond,” Britton says.
Higher oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So if you’re feeling suddenly more generous toward your partner than usual, credit the love hormone.

5. Sex Reduces Pain
As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increase, and pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.
In a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 48 volunteers who inhaled oxytocin vapor and then had their fingers pricked lowered their pain threshold by more than half.

6. Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer later in life, Australian researchers reported in the British Journal of Urology International. When they followed men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those without, they found no association of prostate cancer with the number of sexual partners as the men reached their 30s, 40s, and 50s.
But they found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third.
Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more a month, were linked to lower prostate cancer risk in older men, as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.

7. Sex Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles
For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will enjoy more pleasure, and you’ll also strengthen the area and help to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life.
To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor, as if you’re trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three, then release.

8. Sex Boosts Immunity
Good sexual health may mean better physical health. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. Scientists at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., took samples of saliva, which contain IgA, from 112 college students who reported the frequency of sex they had.
Those in the “frequent” group – once or twice a week – had higher levels of IgA than those in the other three groups – who reported being abstinent, having sex less than once a week, or having it very often, three or more times weekly.

9. Sex Boosts Self-Esteem
Boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex, collected by University of Texas researchers and published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.
That finding makes sense to Gina Ogden, PhD, a sex therapist and marriage and family therapist in Cambridge, Mass., although she finds that those who already have self-esteem say they sometimes have sex to feel even better. “One of the reasons people say they have sex is to feel good about themselves,” she tells WebMD. “Great sex begins with self-esteem, and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected, and what you want, it raises it.”

Adopted from an article,courtesy: http://www.webmd.com