Ten ways to stay Slim

1. Keep to your meal routine. Try to eat at roughly the same times each day, whether this is two or five times a day.

2. Go reduced fat. Choose reduced fat versions of foods such as dairy products, spreads and salad dressings where you can. Use them sparingly as some can still be high in fat.

3. Walk off the weight. Walk 10,000 steps (about 60-90 minutes of moderate activity) each day. You can use a pedometer to help count the steps. You can break up your walking over the day.

4. Pack a healthy snack. If you snack, choose a healthy option such as fresh fruit or low calorie yogurts instead of chocolate or crisps.

5. Look at the labels. Be careful about food claims. Check the fat and sugar content on food labels when shopping and preparing food.

6. Caution with your portions. Don't heap food on your plate (except vegetables). Think twice before having second helpings

7. Up on your feet. Break up your sitting time. Stand up for ten minutes out of every hour.

8. Think about your drinks. Choose water or sugar-free squashes. Unsweetened fruit juice contains natural sugar so limit it to one glass per day (200ml / 1/3 pint). Alcohol is high in calories; try to limit the amount you drink.

9. Focus on your food. Slow down. Don't eat on the go or while watching TV. Eat at a table if possible.

10. Don't forget your five a day. Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day (400g in total).

EYES NEED REST

Most of us take our eyes for granted, never thinking of them as muscles or as organs needing special exercises or needing periods of complete rest.

The eye is composed of muscles. Just as any muscle in the body, when we exercise the muscles of the eye, we need to give those muscles a rest.

The best way to rest the eyes is to put them in complete darkness. By shutting out all light, we keep the optic nerve from being stimulated by outside images. Even when we sleep, we can control the resting or not resting of the optic nerve. By covering the eyes and trying to control the images in the mind's eye, we can more thoroughly rest the eyes.

Resting the eyes has another benefit: Relaxing the optic nerve relaxes the rest of the nervous system and can do wonders for relaxing the whole body. The benefits of resting the eyes multiply geometrically, making five minutes of rest more than five times better than one minute of rest.

Eye rest is especially important as more and more of us stare at a computer's monitor screen all day, straining our eyes.

Eye Rest

It is best to remove contact lenses before doing eye rest. Certainly glasses must be removed.

Palming Rub your hands together vigorously to make them warm. Cup the hands slightly and cover your closed eyes with your hands. Rest your hands on the tissue surrounding the eyes rather than the eyes themselves. Now breathe deeply into your abdomen, then let the breath out completely. Relax; imagine that your incoming breath is black. Meditation is a good accompaniment to palming and will help you relax. Use pillows to support your arms when you palm while meditating.

Palm for 5 minute periods during the work day but try for one 20 minute period each day.

Cover the Eyes

Cover the eyes with a soft material, making certain you block out all light while retaining comfort. Sit in a relaxed position, lie down on a bed or reclining chair, or lie down on the floor in the yoga "Dead-Man's Pose." Imagine that the world around you is black. Try not to sleep; just relax into the blackness.

Meir Schneider, PhD, the eye expert who has cured himself of congenital blindness, has this to say about relaxing the eyes, "The relaxation also has an important psychological effect: it teaches the brain that the eyes do not always have to strain, that they can function better and more comfortably through relaxation than through stress.

If you're dedicated to a fitness lifestyle -- exercising regularly and following a healthy diet -- you probably notice the smallest change in your body and its abilities, whether you can lift more weight, increase the intensity level on the elliptical trainer or even fit into your clothes better. But when it comes to your vision, changes are harder to pinpoint, even though your eyes play a crucial role every day. People generally can't measure how well they see, or how well they're using their eyes; they don't know when their eyes have changed, or if they aren't seeing their best, says Else Brisco, OD, FAAO, optometrist at the Hollywood Vision Center in Los Angeles.

"Vision consists of two main components: seeing clearly and how the eyes work (eye muscle control and coordination)," Brisco explains. "Both are very important in your daily life, and for sports." The eyes provide information and feedback to the hands and body about placement, depth and speed, making them critical for optimal sports performance. This affects your ability to catch a ball, your timing, the speed of your visual reaction time, the way you shift your bodyweight and more.

How can we help ensure that our eyes stay healthy and continue to assist us in our quest for optimal fitness? Actually, that's easy: They respond to the same type of diet and exercise regimen we follow for the rest of our body.

Diet & Exercise for the Eye

Just as your body responds to a clean diet, your eyes benefit from good nutrition. "[Eating] carrots and other orange- and green-colored fruits and vegetables is a great way to keep your eyes healthy," notes Brisco. Foods like yams and cantaloupe that tend to be high in beta-carotene are other beneficial additions to your diet. A well-balanced diet, including antioxidants, water and essential oils like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, is important for eye health as well, she says; antioxidants in particular slow the progression of certain age-related eye problems such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

How to care for your Feet and Toe nails

Like all parts of the body, also the foot is an amazingly ingenious device. Its construction is really complex: 26 bones, 33 joints, 106 ligaments, 19 foot muscles and 11 muscles in the lower leg. Not only is the foot sufficiently strong to carry the entire body for hours at a time, but it also enables us, through subtle movements, to walk and run up to 10,000 to 17,000 steps a day. During our lives our feet carry us between 65,000 and 115,000 miles.

You'd expect the foot to be a body part we are proud and caring of. But surveys show that's not the case. According to this survey, two-thirds of the population has a foot condition like blisters, bunions, calluses, fungus, sweaty feet, nail conditions, cold feet and cramps. These are conditions that do not seem too serious, but which can be very inconvenient and they better be avoided with proper foot care.

More difficult to solve are structural deficiencies in feet which cause pain, fatigue and mobility problems. Flat-footedness being the most well-known deficiency. But also hollow-feet, heel spur, spreading-feet and hammer toes may cause much suffering.

Your feet are two of the most abused & often used parts of the body, what with all the walking and running that you do everyday. This being said, you should make sure to give your feet the attention and care they deserve every so often. Taking good care of your feet will prevent you from getting foot conditions such as Athlete's foot or other fungal infections. No matter what the season is, it is always important to keep your feet and toenails in tip-top condition. During the hotter months, for example, your feet are constantly visible due to footwear choices such as sandals and slippers, so it would be a good idea to keep them looking fabulous and presentable. But even during the winter months when you feet are bundled up in socks and boots, it would still be advisable to take extra measures in keeping your feet well-cared for. Some of these feet and toenail care tips are applicable not only to women, but to men as well (sans the nail color portion, unless this is a preference of the male individual). So to the men, don't overlook the advantages of having nice-looking and cared-for feet as well! Your gal will definitely notice.

Here are some useful steps in taking care of your feet and toenails, which will get you to putting your best feet forward -- literally -- in no time.

BEST TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR TOES AND TOE NAILS

Make sure to wash your feet daily.

With all the running about from place to place that most people do everyday, the feet would have been exposed to a lot of dust and dirt by the end of the day. If you take showers in the morning and not at night, at least make feet-washing a part of your nightly routine when you get home. Lather up with soap, and pay extra attention to the spaces in between the toes. Wipe the feet gently with a towel afterward. Aside from being a mark of good hygiene, doing this would also ensure that you do not step onto your bed with dirty feet, and thus prevent from bringing dirt to your place of rest and relaxation.

Give your feet a pedicure every two weeks. Painting them does not necessarily have to be part of every pedicure routine, but regular pedicures really make a difference in keeping your feet soft and free from dry and rough skin, and your toenails clean and neat. You don't need to spend a lot of cash to have your pedicure professionally done in a salon, as with a few tools, you can do your own pedicure right in the comforts of your own home. Here's how to do one:

• Soak your feet for about 5-10 minutes in a large bowl with lukewarm water. As an added treat, you may also wish to infuse the water with a few drops of essential oils or Dead Sea salts, to keep the feet smelling good and to soften hard skin respectively. The soaking time indicated here is merely just a suggestion -- you may choose to soak your feet for much longer if you want to relax, or if the hardened skin on your feet need extra hydration.
• Exfoliate your feet with a foot scrub to slough off dry and dead skin, and to moisturize your feet as well. Massage the scrub in circular motions, and rinse off afterward. To exfoliate the hardened skin on the heels and bottom part of the feet, use a foot file or a pumice stone. Make sure to use a gentle filing motion, and to never rub too hard.
• Cut your toenails straight across, as opposed to a curved shape, to prevent ingrown toenails from occurring. If you would really prefer a rounded shape instead of a straight square, use a nail file to smoothen the ridges and to give the edges a bit of a curve, so you would end up with a square shape with rounded edges. Ensure that the nails are cut and filed to just the right length -- short, but not too much that you end up hurting yourself.
• Remember to include your cuticles too. Apply cuticle oil to your toenails to soften and moisturize the hardened edges, and push the cuticles back with an orangewood stick to create a smooth, open area ready for your polish. Make sure that you do not push too hard, or you might risk cutting the cuticles and exposing your feet to possible fungal infection. Some people also prefer to skip this step completely and leave their cuticles untouched,,,,, this is ok as well.
• For women, apply polish to your toenails if desired. Do this after you have done your pedicure, so that you have a smooth, clean base for the polish to go on to.
  • Before painting, clean the nail plates by wiping over them with nail polish remover. This removes excess oils as well as old polish from the nails, so your new colour will go on smoothly and last well.
  • Use toe separators to keep your toes apart. This makes the process of painting easier, and prevents a freshly painted toenail from staining another toe.
  • Always use a basecoat - a clear layer of polish - under your colour to prevent staining and to ensure your polish goes on smoothly.
  • Using the nail color of your choice, apply the polish to your toenails. Try to follow the "three stroke method", which consists of using one stroke on each side and a stroke in the middle. This ensures that the polish is evenly applied on the whole nail. Apply two coats of polish to your toenails.
  • After around 10 minutes, use a topcoat to achieve the smoothest, longest lasting results and a high-shine finish.
• Choose nail polish colors which suit your preference or the season.
  • For fall, choose browns, oranges, and reds. Dark green also looks good.
  • For winter, try not to go too festive. For December, either go with red or dark green, but not both. Other colors for winter include dark blue and white. You can really use any color though because your feet are not seen a lot.
  • For spring, bring out the pastel colors! Soft greens, pinks, purples, and blues are a great touch!
  • For summer,
    • • • you will probably be pretty tan, and coral really brings out the tan, even if you're as pale as a ghost! Other colors that work are light blue, turquoise, yellow, and white.
  • • If you can't decide on a colour, remember that a French polish (nude or pale pink polish with white tips) suits everyone and goes with all colors of clothing and skin. But feel free to be bold with toenail colours -- on the fingernails, some colours can look garish and tacky, but on the toenails, pretty much anything goes!
  • Moisturize your feet everyday. Put lotion or foot cream on as a part of your routine. One way to achieve soft, moisturized feet is to rub on some lotion or petroleum jelly before bed, and slip on some socks. When you wake up in the morning, you'll find that your feet are very soft and free of dryness.

Seven tips to improve your complexion

1. Drink water: Yes you’ve heard it before, but this works and is as easy as…drinking water. Eight to ten glasses will wash out the toxins from your system, cleaning up your body and face!

2. Keep your face clean: This is an old one too…but we all know that old is gold. If you have oily skin, wash your face in cool water as often as you can and pat dry. This will prevent clogged pores and blackheads.

3. Keep hair away: Hair carries dust, oil and sometimes dandruff. None of these things contribute to a glowingly clear face. So tie your hair back so that it is not in constant contact with the sides of your face or your forehead.

4. Facials and clean-ups only once every 2 months: Do not fall into the trap of frequent beauty treatments. Steaming and applying packs etc on your face too often will tire and disturb the natural balance of your skin.

5. Moisturize at night: It’s protection during the day and prevention at night. Your skin repairs itself while you sleep. So a light night cream, after removing all make-up will gently assist your skin’s rejuvenation process.

6. Home beauty treatments: You don’t have to trust your face to the care of the experts every time. Your refrigerator and green grocer has some amazing skin care products. Some cold milk dabbed on with cotton will instantly refresh and re-hydrate. A slice of chilled tomato rubbed over your face thrice a week will lighten dark spots and kindle the glow. A face scrub of sugar and olive oil will polish away dead skin and oil wells.

7. Sleep: The easiest of all beauty treatments is also among the most effective. Heard the term ‘beauty sleep’? Well it’s not grandmotherly lore. The prescribed 7-8 hours of sound sleep will prevent wrinkled skin, dull and puffy eyes and dark circles. That’s a big contribution towards a more beautiful you.

So take a good look at yourself in the mirror and head for your kitchen. You will look and feel great when you come out and its guaranteed. Having fair complexion can never be this much easier and cheap by any other means.

Best of luck girls.