Friday, August 24, 2007

Stain Removal

Coffee (Or Soda) Stains On Your Teeth
For fast results, dip a wet toothbrush in baking soda; brush and rinse well.

Yellowed Nails from Polish
Soak nails for ten minutes in a capful of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a cup of warm water. Scrub with a wet nailbrush dipped in baking soda.

Some Smart Ways to Blast off Those Flabs!!!

  1. Run errands. We mean this literally. Walking briskly while lugging dry cleaning burns about 120 calories in 30 minutes twice as much as driving does.
  2. Blast your biggest muscles. The more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn, even just sitting around. A study has proved that women who pumped iron upped their burn-off by 300 calories a day. If fat burning is your goal, focus on building the muscles that consume the most calories, like you butt, thighs and chest - don't bother with smaller muscles, like triceps or calves that have less impact.
  3. Fidget frequently. Research has shown that "Spontaneous physical activity" like tapping toes and fussing with hands blasts off up to 800 calories a day!
  4. Rock out: Music is a great motivator. Studies show that exercisers who tune in to music work out 25 percent longer.
  5. Trek to the toilet. Instead of going to the closest bathroom at work, take the stairs to another floor. Every minute you climb kills seven calories.
  6. Much more often. You need calories to burn calories. When you go hours without food, your body goes on starvation alert and slows its metabolism to conserve energy so you use fewer calories. Feel free to eat between meals. Opt for small "packages of calories" like banana, yoghurt or hard boiled egg.
  7. Squat before you shower. Stand in front of the toilet, rest one foot on the lid, and grab a towel rack or sink for balance. Squat 15 times, switch legs and repeat.
  8. Pace periodically. Always on the move, pacers continually tap their fat reserves. If you're not a natural pacer, schedule a five minute walk break every hour. You could burn about 100 extra calories if you work a full eight hour day.
  9. Two Step it. Obviously, forgoing elevators in favor of stairs bumps up your calorie expenditure, but did you know that taking the stairs two at a time burns 55 percent more calories than single stepping?
  10. Be a babe maid. Vacuuming, mopping, dusting, sweeping, scrubbing floors, making beds - they don't just eliminate dirt, they kick out calories. In fact housework melts away 200 calories an hour.
  11. Perfect your posture. Never lie down when you can sit, sit when you can stand, or slouch when you can stand up straight with your abdomen pulled in. "These are all muscular activities that burn calories and they add up.

Stop Social Stress

You walk into the cafeteria on the first day of school, and there isn't a friendly face in sight. Or you're at a party and your friend leaves to go to the bathroom. You're left to fend for yourself and the only people you know are a group of girls who seem to be talking about you.

Band Aid
Braid your hair. The repetitive motion will calm your fidgety hands and help pass the time. If you're entering a crowded place all by yourself, hold your head high and pretend to look for someone, occasionally glancing at your watch. You'll get so wrapped up in the act that your few minutes alone will fly by.

Damage Control
Before you go to bed, write down all the day's horror stories in your diary. But here's the key: check in with your old entries every once in a while. If you do, you'll see that the stuff that seemed like a huge trauma was really just a blip in the big picture. You might even be able to laugh about it.

Stop Family Stress

You get home twenty minutes past curfew and as you turn your key on the door you can see your parents through the window waiting up. They're going to be really mad, then you'll get in a huge, raging fight about your wild friends, and they'll finish up by asking you exactly how much money you spent on those boots. You know your parents love you, but they're stressing you out!

Band Aid
Before you reach for the doorknob, or have to deal with your parents about anything really stressful, sing the first song that pops into your head. Singing stimulates the brain and helps you relax. Plus, holding out long notes will help you control your breathing.

Damage Control
Here's your secret weapon: Agree with them. Instead of spewing a bunch of "But dad..", look him in the eye and say "I really blew it, I'm sorry." It's tough to argue with someone who takes your side, so continue to agree with your parents, even if they call you irresponsible (if you really think they're wrong, talk to them about it later after they've calmed down). In far less time than it would take to have a two way argument, you'll likely be dismissed with a stern warning. If you can't ward off a screaming match and you end up fuming in your room, write your parents a note of apology. Holding a grudge, or being too proud to say you're sorry is actually a lot more upsetting and stressful than just making up and moving on.

Stress Busters

Between your science projects, the massive pile of homework your math teacher assigned and extra curricular activities, sometimes it seems like you don't have time to think about everything else. If you don't make up for the C you got on that quiz, you'll never raise your grades, and then how are you going to get into your first choice college?

Band Aid
Your mind is racing... and now your eye is twitching too! Try this yoga eye stretch, designed to tone eye muscles and reduce tension. While breathing normally, move only your eyes and look to the far left and then to the far right for four breaths each. Repeat three times, and then blink your eyes a few times.

Damage Control
Make a list of all the things you have to do and keep it on hand. Once you've put it all down on paper, you won't have to waste any more energy worrying that you're forgetting something. Now get to work! Studies show that procrastinators have more stress than people who tackle projects immediately. After you finish each assignment, cross it off with a thick marker-it's a visual cue that you're really making headway, which helps you feel more in control. More control equals less stress.

Read My Lipstick

The way you wear down your lipstick can say a lot about your personality. Find out your personality profile:

Round top
You twirl the tube to mold it that way, which hints at an inner playfulness that you don't usually let many people see.

Deep Curve
Passionate. You press harder than most and are willing to work for what you want. You thrive on challenge and change.

Smooth Slant
A clean edge reveals your desire to appear honest and straightforward to others. You like everything to be simple.

Center Point
You maintain a balanced tip, reflecting a focused, goal-oriented mind.

My hair is thin. I heard that if I cut it, it will grow back thicker. Is this true?

If only life were that simple. Sorry, you can't change your hair type with a snip of the scissors. But frequent trims can keep your locks looking thicker and even fuller, since they cut down on split ends. You can also pump up your hair's volume with special shampoos and conditioners for thin hair. Check out styling products that say "volumizing" or "thickening" on the label. But don't overdo it with globs of gel too much of a good thing could leave your hair weighed down and hanging limp.


My hair is oily - should I avoid conditioners?

Every hair type, even oily, needs conditioning to keep it healthy and shiny. But if you're prone to greasy roots towel-dry hair after shampooing, Then work a dime size amount of conditioner from ends to halfway up the length of locks to make your mane soft and manageable.