-Dry yourself until you are damp, and then stop at that point rather than going any further. It is actually must more effective for you to apply a moisturizing product when your skin is damp right after a bath, than afterwards when your skin is totally dry.

- Similarly, you should not jump out of the bath while still soaking wet and immediately apply skin lotion. You should pat yourself down with a towel in order to dry your body up a bit before you apply lotion to your skin. You should still feel damp, because the entire purpose behind applying lotion is trapping the moisture inside your skin rather than drying it all off first.

- It is also important that you avoid advertising hype when it comes to home remedies for skin care and dry skin problems. It’s unlikely any fancy lotion will ever beat natural remedies like mineral oil and petroleum jelly. Dermatologists tend to agree that natural materials such as vegetable oil, peanut oil and sunflower oil are always great for combating dry skin, especially when it is related to the weather. These are effective skin care remedies and pure methods of skin lubrication as well, not to mention rather inexpensive.

There is one drawback to these products however, which is that they are capable of feeling greasy. The one thing commercial lotions have over these products is that people tend to prefer things that are smooth feeling and smell good, but if you’re looking for a natural option, consider the options mentioned above.

When your skin is healthy and nourished again, and looks young and beautiful, you will be glad that you put effort into your home remedy for healing dry skin. There are a number of different natural options and remedies that you can choose for restoring health and nourishment to your skin. Combine different home remedies until you get the skin care results that you are satisfied with. Each skin care remedy is unique in the benefits that it provides you with, so don’t be afraid to experiment until you are happy.

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Why bad breath occurs?

The most common cause why bad breath, or halitosis, develops is food particles lingering in the mouth. These get trapped between teeth, in the lining of the mouth and on the tongue. There are bacteria in your mouth that keep themselves busy trying to prevent bad bacteria from forming from these leftovers. However, when you don’t clean your mouth and teeth to get rid of these particles, bad bacteria are immediately attracted causing them to form a community inside. Bad bacteria carry compounds which cause your breath to smell foul. Another cause for bad breath is a lack of water intake as the lack of moisture means they have less work to do. A dry mouth is a popular place for bad bacteria to gather.  Smoking also causes your breath to smell bad. Not only that. It can cause tartar and plaque, another reason why breath smells bad, to build up.  Infections such as tonsillitis, sinusitis, and other similar conditions are also factors in bad breath. Infections carry compounds which are absorbed down the mouth and cause the breath to smell bad. Aside from this, there are certain medical conditions that trigger halitosis such as kidney problems, diabetes, periodontitis, and others. In addition, a person taking prescription drugs can vunerable to developing halitosis. There is a wide variety of prescription drugs, which when taken orally, cause breath to smell bad.

How to Avoid Bad Breath

Bad breath can be avoided. One of the things that you can do is practice regular oral dental hygiene. Brushing and flossing twice a day is a simple but effective way to avoid bad bacteria forming a community inside your mouth. To completely clean your mouth and breath, mouthwash is also recommended. Since brushing and flossing alone do not completely vacuum your mouth, the rinse scrapes off any debris left around the lining of the mouth and tongue. Tongue scraping is also a great way to prevent bacteria from reproducing, creating breeding grounds in the mouth for bad bacteria.  Keeping your mouth hydrated by drinking water all throughout the day helps these bacteria busy working; thus, avoiding the breeding of bad compounds.

Checking with your physician and dentist is a must once you are plagued with the condition. If bad breath continues even if you practice proper oral dental care, there is something wrong with your medical condition. If this is the case, the right person to diagnose and provide treatment is your physician or medical doctor.

Talking with your dental hygienist is a big step towards curing halitosis and gaining your confidence afterwards. Bad breath is never a simple thing to consider. If you don’t want to be affected by the negative things it comes with, take care of your own hygiene and check regularly with your dentist.

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The most notorious mistake people make is to tell someone that he/she is showing defensive body language because he/she is crossing the arms over the chest.  While that may be true, there could be other explanations that could be just as accurate.  It may just mean that the air in the room is cold.  Or, he/she may simply be more comfortable with the arms in that position, especially if there are no arms on the chair the person is sitting in.  What’s more, if you tell a person that he/she is being defensive, his/her body language will definitely become so.

Eye contact is another shady area when it comes to body language.  Most people assume that you should engage the other person with as much eye contact as possible.  While eye contact is important, it can be overdone.  Staring is considered an aggressive move.  However, it may just mean that the person is being overzealous at trying to keep eye contact.  The more we analyse body language the more self-conscious we become about the signals we’re giving out, and perhaps the most likely we are to actually try to divert attention from our inner intentions!

Another instance of trying to interpret the meanings behind eye contact is to determine honesty.  It seems obvious that a person who is lying to you will not be able to look you square in the eye.  The truth is that there are many reasons why a person might feel the need to look away.  These might include their shyness or a feeling that you are being aggressive in your body language. The body language of a person who is actually lying to you may be quite different than what you expect.  Since most people have heard that lying people look away, a person who is lying will often stare.  Obviously, they don’t want to get caught and they will use what they know about body language to help them.

If a person pinches the bridge of the nose with the eyes closed, people who pay attention to body language will most likely explain that this person is demonstrating a negative evaluation.  However, the person could just have a headache.  How many times have you seen a person who has a migraine in just this posture?

Eye-rubbing is usually seen as some form of doubt or disbelief.  There are really several reasons why a person would rub an eye.  The person might have something in the eye.  They might be sleepy.  Or, they might be suffering from allergies.  In other words, this ‘complex and revealing’ body language may simply be a physical reaction to a fairly mundane cause.

Putting your hands and fingers in a steeple or pyramid shape is often thought to convey an attitude of authority and confidence.  Sometimes, that’s just what it is.  Sometimes, though, the person is only trying to project these images even if they are not true.  If a person knows a little about body language, they can certainly manipulate the way they come across.

Probably the best way to identify the meaning of body language is to look for overall patterns.  While one behaviour may point you towards a belief that the person has one attitude, patterns tell more.  A group of behaviours appearing together will give you a better read on someone’s body language.

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So how do you unleash your creative thinking? Well, the first thing is to become a human leech. No, we’re not talking about just sucking the blood out of every living being available, we’re saying that you should take in as much knowledge and learning you can find. Read everything available — good and bad, and keep your mind open to the infinite possibilities of the universe. The more you know, the more you’ll want to know, and the more your faculty of wonder will be exercised. Prepare to be amazed at little facts that add a bit of colour into your life.

Focus on a creative activity everyday. Yes, it’s an effort. Even doodling is a creative activity. Don’t let anything hinder you. Mindlessness may be a creative activity, but for people who are just starting out to unleash a little bit of creative thinking in their lives, it is helpful and encouraging to have concrete evidence, that, “hey, what I’m doing is getting somewhere.” So why don’t you try it. Practice drawing for a couple of minutes each day. Bring out your old camera and start snapping photos like crazy. Keep a journal and make a point to write in it religiously. Another cool idea is to write by describing something with all your senses. Try to avoid vague adjectives like “marvellous,” “amazing,” and “delicious.” Before you know it, you’ll have built yourself a tiny portfolio, and you’ll be amazed at the growth you’ve undertaken after amassing all those works of art. Who knows, you might actually take to liking those things you do everyday. Pretty soon those things will become a part of you and you’ll be addicted to these creative exercises.

Think out of the box — or don’t. Sometimes, constraints are actually a good thing. Limitations discipline you to work within your means. It enables you to be more resourceful. Creative freedom is great, but limitations enforce discipline.

Try something new everyday and let your experiences broaden your perspective. Explore a new district in your neighborhood. Spend an afternoon in a museum to which you’ve never been before. Chat up someone on the bus. Open up to the people around you. As you thrust yourself out of your comfort zone more and more each day, your sense of adventure grows and so does your zest for life. Think about it. When was the last time you did something for the first time? If it’s been a while, I tell you, you’ve been missing out on a whole lot of experiences that could’ve added to your growth, emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually. Why don’t you try bungee jumping today? Not only will you learn, but you will also have plenty of stories to share, enabling you to practice your storytelling skills and making you the life of the party.

Embrace insanity. No, not to the point of practically admitting yourself into the mental ward. As John Russell once said, “Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting.” Exactly! Every creative thought was once deemed insane by other “normal” people at one time or another. Luckily, that didn’t stop the creative geniuses from standing by them. The thing is, sanity or ‘being normal’ confines people to think… well, normally. Within limits. Creativity is essentially breaking through barriers. Yes, this includes the bizzarre and the downright strange. I’m not saying that you yourself should develop a creative personality. That might go haywire. An example of a creative personality would be George Washington, who often rode into battle naked, or James Joyce, who wrote “Dubliners” with beetle juice due to an intense fear of ink, or Albert Einstein who thought his cat was a spy sent by his rival. It’s important that your creativity doesn’t get you detached from the real world completely.

I hope this article has inspired you to start thinking beyond your “limits.” If you follow these steps pretty soon you’ll be living a life full of interesting adventures. Unleashing your creative thinking  will bring about a new zest for living life

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Most people have found that using Acai Berry as a colon cleanser is far more effective than other colon cleansing products. Plus, it is believed that using this colon cleanse diet is also a very effective method of losing weight.

Most lean individuals would think that fat people became big because they are too lazy to move or exercise. This is not true at all times. Experts believe that people also get fat because of life stress. The exhaustive pressures of kids, work or school is a factor why people can gain weight. Who wants to waste their energy on a treadmill or a hill stroll if you have tons of paper work? For instance, a woman who would weigh 125 lbs during her entire single life could balloon up to 200 lbs after their first baby.

A new diet for weight loss and colon cleanse is popular today. After its feature in the Oprah Winfrey Show co hosted by Dr. Oz, it gained popularity among colon cleansers. Acai berry is a super foodî from the rainforest of Amazon that is believed to be more effective than pomegranate or red wine in detoxification. It is also effective in losing weight because it was proven to reduce food craving and hunger by raising the energy level of the body. Now, acai berries are one of the most nutritious foods in the world.

This colon cleansing product was introduced by Dr. Mehmet Oz in the Oprah Winfrey Show where he demonstrated the effectiveness of the wonder berry. He motivated every person to try the product and said the United States health society is one of the best in the human history yet only a small part of the population are using natural and organic products to change their lifestyle.

According to Dr. Oz, colon cleansing using acai berries is a very effective way of losing weight. He explains that in our years of accumulating fecal matters in our colon, toxins get trapped in our large intestines that add a few extra pounds that line in our midsection. These toxins cannot be extracted by the body using a normal exercise routine thatís why colon cleansing is necessary if you want this to be taken out from your system.

Scientific studies and experiments have proven that the healthy acai berry is one of the high sources of various vitamins and minerals. Acai (pronounced as ah-sigh-ee) is a nutritious berry grown from a palm tree in the Amazon rainforest. It specially harvested in Brazil and tastes like a garish blend of fruits and chocolates. It has a royal purple color and packed with anti-oxidants, essential fatty acids and amino acids.

Acai berries are also rich in Vitamin B complex, minerals, natural fibers, protein and omega 3 and omega 9 beneficial fatty acids.

In general, acai berries can help you to control metabolism, reduce hunger, raise energy levels of the body, lose extra weight from the body, removes toxins, removes fecal matters that are not normally taken out through bowel movements, reduce cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Most patients who combined acai berry supplements in their daily habit believe that they are healthier and more active than before. They have a balanced lifestyle and they have more energy in doing great both at home and at work. They are also happy in their new found lean bodies.

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Most of us have a fairly large closet, but lots of worthless space in its original design. It is no wonder things end up piled up and lost in there. To get organized you are going to need to transform that space into areas you can work with. Once you have decided on the items that will go back into your closet you are going to have to decide how you want it in there. Do you want to hang it? Put it on the floor? Have a few shelves? Or store some items on the floor? This information will help you take the proper steps to get your closet organized.

Multi tier hanging clothes rods are very useful. You can install half rods in various locations as well. This is an excellent choice if you need a full length rod area for dresses and want a shorter hanging space for shirts. Most of us have a standard closet with one hanging clothes rod all the way across. Even simply adding a second one down below will double your storage space! 

Use bins, dividers, small shelves, or baskets to separate and organize your smaller closet items. You can even put your sweaters in a basket or on a shelf since hangers can cause them to lose their shape. Cubbies are great for shoes, belts, scarfs, and other similar items. Carousals are wonderful for hats, ties, and purses. If you are creative you may want to use a particular closet organization product for an entirely different purpose. Do it! This is your project so make it work for you. 

This is your chance to customize your closet storage space. Make it accessible and convenient for what you need. Some of us have tons of clothes and only a few pairs of shoes. Some of us have a pair of shoes to go with each outfit. Therefore no custom closet organisation design is perfect for everyone. For the best results, take a complete inventory of the items you plan on to return to your closet and devise a plan that will give the right amount of space for the items you need it for. 

Do you plan to live in your current residence for a long time? If so, a permanent closet organization system is something you will be interested in. For those of you who move often or who rent, consider using removable closet organization products that install and remove easily. Otherwise you will find yourself in the same predicament each time you have to move. You will also want to consider the cost of each type of closet organization system before making any decisions. 

Many people don’t realize the amount of space they have on the inside of their closet doors. You can hang a bag for hats, purses, belts, umbrellas, gloves, etc. here. It is also a perfect location for hanging a shoe organizer. Make sure you take this area into consideration while devising your custom closet organization layout. 

Don’t spend money on items to design your closet until you are absolutely sure that they are going to fit well in your closet area. Most closet organizing products canít be returned or exchanged if you have already started putting them together unless they are defective. It is a good ideal to take your measurements twice in the closet as well as when you are looking for products to purchase. 

Posted via email from barrydanser’s posterous

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Starting in the first ten seconds a business associate or client meets you, he or she has already begun to form an opinion of you. This occurs through not only what they hear, but also every little detail that they see.  Your body language is very powerful in business.  

In fact, body language can give others an image of your personal power, too.  If you are in a room with business associates simply standing during the meeting can give the impression of you holding the most powerful position in the room. Moving around makes you seem even more powerful, and others might feel threatened by your body language.  This can go too far, there’s no need to purposefully draw attention to yourself by moving constantly. You can still give an image of power and confidence if you are sitting.  Just use up as much space as possible.  Stretch out your legs, open up your arms, do anything to make yourself seem bigger. Showing confidence is as important in business as showing power.  One way to show confidence through your body language is to keep from moving your head around too much.  If your head is always in motion, it makes you appear to be the kind of person who seeks approval. Your eyes can help you to show confidence through your body language.  If you maintain eye contact a good portion of the time, you will feel confident and honest as well.  Blink too much and you will appear to have a lack of confidence, so try not to blink excessively. The body language of your eyes is critical.  

Negotiating a sale or other type of business deal can go more smoothly if you know a little about body language.  To make a customer or business associate feel more at ease during negotiations, you can try mirroring. Mirroring is a type of body language in which you subtly mimic the movements of the other person.  This makes them feel comfortable with you and more willing to follow your lead.  Once they are at that point, you can try a method called tracking. In tracking, you start out mirroring.  Then, you gently guide the person by making more and more open and positive body language movements.  If the person follows your lead, you will be in a good position to make a sale or to complete the negotiations in your favor. If a person starts out with a closed posture he or she might be hard to deal with at first.  The signs are folded arms, crossed legs, and maybe a turning away from you.  If you mirror and then use tracking, you may begin to see a change.  His/her body language might change to an open position.  This usually means your methods are working. If you are trying to make a sale and your customer is always touching his/her hand to his/her face, you need to give this body language your attention.  It usually means that they want to buy if only they can resolve some issue they have with the purchase.  If you don’t step in at this point, the customer may just walk away never quite knowing why he/she didn’t buy.  If you try to help them figure it out, you will probably make a sale.  

In business, things aren’t always what they seem.  You need to be able to project the image that is conducive to the type of business you are trying to do.  You need to be able to identify your business associates’ attitudes.  With a working knowledge of body language, you can do this.  

Posted via email from barrydanser’s posterous

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What is important though, is to think of this as an opportunity to spend this time with your children and husband/wife or to spend time looking after yourself. Make it fun and interesting.

I think smoothies are one of the greatest inventions of our time. I know you get a lot of fruit juices and they are truly great, but some of the manufacturers do add a lot of sugar. Try to keep the sugar intake low by making your own. All you need is a blender, or smoothie maker and fruit. It is that simple. Try to play with the flavours. You can add whatever you like. If you do not try it, how will you know if you like it or not?

My husband and I played around with some flavours the past weekend and I can tell you, the results tasted fantastic! You can get recipe books for how to make smoothies, but as I said, it’s more fun to make it up as you go along. First we tried mixing banana, strawberries, kiwi fruit, grapes and plain yoghurt. It tasted LOVELY. This is not a sweet combination, so if you have a sweet tooth, maybe you should try our second recipe.

The next one we tried, we used a mango, banana, yellow melon and yoghurt. This was a much sweeter option, but the banana was a little strong. Maybe you should try to use only half a banana or replace it with some other fruit. We’re thinking that next time we will try to replace it with a strawberry or two. Don’t know how it will taste, but we will definitely try!

Making smoothies is a great way time to spend together, learning to listen to each other and compromising on what fruit you want to try. Whether you’re making them alone, with friends, partners or children you  can have a lot more fun than grabbing a carton of juice out of the fridge!

Go on, try to make your own smoothie and have fun with your creations and taste sensations!

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Facts and Fables

Many people think that they should do a deep stretch before they exercise. The truth is that if you stretch too deeply while your muscles are tight you can actually do more harm than good.

You can tear muscle fibre which will take a long time to repair, and you’ll miss a lot of future workouts while you are recovering.

You can sprain or strain (no they’re not the same) and be more susceptible to muscle pulls. You don’t want to stop exercising while you wait to repair the damage done by incorrect stretching.

While stretching is good for you, it only works well when your muscles are already loose and warm. To maximize the effectiveness of stretching do very light warm up moves before you workout and leave the deeper stretches until after you’re done.

Sore Muscles- Just the right amount of pain

The correct ‘soreness’ you feel in your muscles should come from the micro-tears that are naturally created during a workout. When your muscles repair themselves this is how you build them up and make them stronger, and bigger.  From that point of view a little soreness is actually a good thing.

Ease into any new exercise program.  One mistake I’ve made is to think that just because I work out and I’m fit I can jump into any type of physical activity. Wrong. Different activities use different muscles in different ways, so anytime you take on something new, you’ll probably have some muscle pain.

Recovering from soreness

When you do have sore muscles try to get some light exercise in while you are ‘recovering’.  Something simple like going for a walk or an easy bike ride. You want to keep your body moving and loose without putting more strain on your already strained muscles.

Initial treatment for these kinds of injuries should consist of icing the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes every hour for the first 24 hours. Then apply heat to the affected area again for 15 to 20 minutes every hour. Soaking in a hot tub can also help loosen your sore muscles. Another relaxing and effective way to relieve the pain of sore muscles is to get a light massage. This will help by increasing blood flow to the affected areas which will effectively warm the muscles and begin to get rid of the built up lactic acid…it’s this build up that makes your muscles sore to begin with.

There are also many over the counter creams and ointments that you can apply to help loosen up your muscles and speed up the recovery time.

Follow these simple tips on how do you relieve sore muscles and you’ll enjoy all your physical activities more as well as enjoying your physical appearance more!

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There are many essential oils and blends of oils that just aren’t safe to use during pregnancy.  Some herbs that are used in cooking should be avoided in their essential oil forms during all nine months of pregnancy.  These include basil, bay leaves, sage, thyme, and oregano.  Others are clove, marjoram, and wintergreen.

Some of the essential oils are safe for use after the first trimester. There are remedies for many of the discomforts of pregnancy.  For example, women often have morning sickness that lasts beyond the first trimester. If so, they can breathe in oil of peppermint, spearmint, or lemon. It is easy to end up feeling tense and full of muscle pain when you are pregnant.  If this happens, a massage could be just the thing you need. With the essential oils of lavender and chamomile mixed with vegetable oil, your partner can help ease away that tension.

Commonly, women suffer from swollen ankles and feet during pregnancy.  If lavender, cypress, and juniper oils are mixed with vegetable oil they can used for massage oil.  This blend of essential oils can cause the swelling to decrease.

Pregnant women also have muscle cramps in their legs at times.  For this, massage oil can be made from the essential oils of lavender and chamomile, just as for any muscle pain.

However, with this pain and any pain of the feet and legs, it is important to be careful when doing the massage.  Activating pressure points in these areas can induce labor.

Carrying around all that extra weight can make a woman feel quite fatigued. She may have given up coffee and caffeinated soft drinks for the health of her baby.  To energize herself, she can mix essential oils of lavender, grapefruit, and orange with vegetable oil. This can be inhaled or rubbed on the solar plexus.  Skin eruptions are common during pregnancies.  They are uncomfortable and distressing to many women.  Several different conditions can be helped by putting a mixture of essential oils and vegetable oil on the affected areas. The essential oils you should use for dry skin are geranium, lavender, and rose.  For inflamed skin, use chamomile.  For itchy skin, use a combination of chamomile and lavender.  These remedies should soothe the skin and make it smoother.  There’s just no getting around stretch marks.  If you are getting them, though, you might like to have a way to soothe them and keep them from itching.  Just put lavender, geranium, and rosewood essential oils in your vegetable oil for massaging.

Do your homework if you are pregnant and wanting to use essential oils to relieve some of the discomforts associated with pregnancy.   If in doubt, consult an expert.  It’s important to take the safety of you and your baby into account.

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