~THE SKINNY ON WEIGHT LOSS~

1) Have Breakfast

• Breakfast makes you smarter. A good breakfast replenishes your body and blood sugar levels, giving your brain the kick-start it need to concentrate better, think faster and think longer. You will also feel more nourished and satisfied making you less likely to snack or eat extra for the rest of the day.

2) Get A Good Night's Sleep

• Getting enough snooze time may be the best diet secret of all! Research shows those who sleep less than five hours a night are 70 per cent more likely to be obese. Sleep loss affects hormone levels in your body, making you think that you are hungry. It also affects your metabolism making it difficult to maintain weight loss.

3) Learn To Love Water

• Drinking water may play a role in the regulation of your metabolism, your body's calorie-burning engine. If you become dehydrated, your metabolism slow down, meaning you won't burn as many calories as normal while at rest. In addition, ample water may reduce appetite and control food intake by making you feel full.

4) Breathe To De-Stress

• Stress causes you to hold your breath, take shallow breaths or hyperventilate causing further stress to the body. It also increases the level of cortisol, which slows down the metabolism and makes you crave fatty, salty and sugary foods! So the next time you feel stressed, instead of going for food remeber to breathe.

5) Eat All Your Meals

• Many think that skipping meals will help in weight loss, but in reality, you might end up putting on weight. Your body needs a constant flow of energy and nutrients to increase your metablism and burn fat. If you make a habit of skipping meals, your body will think that you are starving and your metabolism will slow down to conserve energy! Remember that regular meal and snack times will help to maintain the optimal metabolism for weight loss.

6) Healthy Eating-Out Options

• When eating out, look for steamed, boiled, baked, grill or roasted foods on the menu. When in doubt, just opt for salad, no matter how boring your date thinks of you!

7) Drink Smart

• When it comes to choosing a beverage, don't drink soda--whether it's sugared or diet soda. It'll put weight on you, dehydrate you and deplete the minerals from your system. Instead, go for sparkling water, ices teas, green tea and white tea, which have been shown to burn more at and up to 78 more calories per day.

8) Cook At Home

• It takes more time, but preparing a dish at home rather than picking up a pre-made version not only saves you money, but it also ensures your dish is healthier because you dictate the amount of oil or salt it contains. Best of all, this guarantees no hidden preservatives.

9) Get Rid Of Junk Food

• You can't eat if it's not there, so rid your home, office and car of food that are't nutritious or that will cause you to overeat. Replace problem foods with healthy choices, like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meats and poultry, and low-fat dairy products.

10) How Much To Eat?

• Just avoid portions that are larger than your fist. Anything more than that is too much!

~PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR CAR~

Many women have a tendency to sit around in their cars and go through their shopping purchases instead of driving off immediately. These women make easy targets for car thieves--they either risk getting their cars hijacked or being kidnap victim. Here are some pointers to keep in mind if you want to keep yourself and your car safe:

• Do not leave valuables like your laptop or handphone visible in the vehicle
• Do not leave your bags on the passenger seat of your vehicle while driving
• If you have a flat tyre in an area that does not seem safe, try to keep driving until you reach a safer location
• Be careful while getting into your car. Look out for suspicious characters lurking nearby.
• Install theft-deterrent devices such as clutch and gear locks as well as an alarm in your vehicle

~THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU ARE STRANDED OR LOST DIRECTION IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE~

1) In An Emergency

• Remain calm
• Assess your situation and gather further information of your surroundings
• Ensure that you are out of harm's way
• Attend to injuries and most importantly, try to stop any bleeding (by elevating the wound above the heart and applying pressure with a clean cloth) as this could cause you to go into shock
• Establish if your basic needs are met (heat,water,food) and identify what needs to be done next by asking yourself the following: "Do i have enough supply of drinking water and food, how can i get in touch with someone for help and do i need to build a shelter?"
• Make sleep and rest a priority if you're lost or stranded. Sleep deprivation can severely affect the ability to think rationally and survive in the wild

2) Shelter Building

• Widowmakers: Avoid building your shelter near dead trees or hazards that could fall on it
• Water: Stick close to a source of drinking water
• Wigglies: Stay well away from any spiders, snakes or ants as they could be venomous
• Weather: Pick a site that is protected from rain, sun and wind
• Wood: Don't underestimate how much firewood you need. Get five times the amount you think is needed and keep it burning through the night. Consider wind directions when measuring the distance between your shelter and fire.

3) Building A Fire

• Find a rocky or sandy area near your shelter to build the fire
• Search for smaller pieces of kindling such as twigs, dry bark, dry leaves or paper as well as larger pieces of dry wood. Place your kindling in a small pile resembling a tepee shape
• If you don't have matches, flint or a lighter, you can use a magnifying glass to focus the sun's rays on the kindling so it catches fire. Once the kindling is alight, slowly place the larger pieces of wood in the fire

4) Finding Your Way Out

• Do sign up for a navigation course that will teach you how to read maps and invest in a compass before you attempt any serious trekking or outdoor trip
• Don't walk in circles. Most people tend to do so when they're lost. We often unconsciously move to the right so keep check on yourself to ensure you're walking straight. A good strategy is to move in alternating directions (sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left) around obstacles in your path
• If you don't have a compass and are lost in the night, you can use the stars as a guide. Locate the pole star on the Big Dipper constellation and you will be facing north
• Try signalling for help if no one is around. The safest method is by creating a fire because smoke is easily spotted during the day and flames at night. A signal mirror is also a very effective method. When the sun is up, flash the mirror along the horizon regardless of whether a plane is in view

Leaving On A Jet Plane

A Couple of Things We Need to Do Before We Go:

1) Key in the number of your airline company and the hotel in which you will be staying at into your mobile phone.

2) Inform a relative or your neighbour that you will be away for a number of days so they can keep an eye out on your house. Also, make sure to tell them where you will be and leave a number where they can reach you in case of an emergency.

3) Install a sensor light that you can program to turn on or off at specific times during the day. This gives the impression that someone is in an would most likely put robbers off.

4) Cancel your newspaper subscription for the duration you will be away. A small pile on your front yard is a good sign that your house is empty, making it a prime target for robbery.

5) Depending on where you're headed to, you might need to get vaccinated or take malaria tablets. If you're not confident drinking tap water, drink bottled water only. Diarrhoea is the last thing you want!

6) Make sure you're insured for the duration of your holiday.

7) Ensure your mobile phone is activated for use abroad... but check the rates of international roaming calls or your phone bill could match the cost of your holiday!

8) Clean your fridge and get rid of anything that'll expire before you're due to be back.

9) Depending on how long you're going to be away, you may want to pay your
bills in advance so you don't incur late fee charges.

10) Call your credit card company to inform them that you will be using your card overseas during the dates you will be away. Some credit card companies will automatically cancel cards that are used overseas for security purposes.

Tips for Healthy Diet & Better Nutrition

1) Eat enough calories but not too many.
~Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don't eat more food than your body uses. The average recommended daily allowance is 2,000 calories, but this depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.
2) Eat a wide variety of foods.
~Healthy eating is an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don't normally eat.
3) Keep portions moderate, especially high-calorie foods.
~In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.
4) Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.
~Foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce.
5) Drink more water.
~Our bodies are about 75% water. It is a vital part of a healthy diet. Water helps flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins. A majority of Americans go through life dehydrated.
6) Limit sugary foods, salt, and refined-grain products.
~Sugar is added to a vast array of foods. In a year, just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can increase your weight by 16 pounds. See suggestions below for limiting salt and substituting whole grains for refined grains.
7) Don’t be the food police.
~You can enjoy your favorite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is good for the heart – even if those French fries aren’t!
8) Get moving.
~A healthy diet improves your energy and feelings of well-being while reducing your risk of many diseases. Adding regular physical activity and exercise will make any healthy eating plan work even better.
9) One step at a time.
~Establishing new food habits is much easier if you focus on and take action on one food group or food fact at a time.