27 September 2007
Indoor Air Pollution
| Self-Defense | Mid Life Crisis | Sports Nutrition | Starbuck's Coffee
| Erectdile Dysfunction
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The aim of argument, or of
discussion, should not be victory,
but progress.
- Joseph Joubert
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This
eZine (No. 98)
Is it Perfume or Poison?
By: Ainsley Laing
Here’s the scenario: you are on an elevator. The elevator stops
and in walks someone with WAY too much cologne on and the smell
overpowers you. Your sinuses start to hurt and you get a bit sick
to your stomach. The smell of the cologne stays with
you, in your hair, clothes and nose for quite a while after – hence the
sick feeling does too.
Yuk.
It’s hard not to think how inconsiderate this person is.
It’s not
just the smell that is inconsiderate. Have you ever thought about
the chemicals that are used in fragrances?
Many of them are not good for you to breathe or to put on your body!
This week
Time Magazine did an article on air fresheners and how many brands have
been removed from the market due to high levels of
phthalates. Phthalates are estrogenic in nature, which is believed to
contribute to certain cancers.
Phthalates are used to dissolve and carry fragrances and soften
plastics, sealants and similar compounds. They
are commonly found in cosmetics, paint, nail polish and plastics.
This
peaked my interest on fragrances in general – so, as usual, I did some
research.
Although
fragrances have been used for centuries, they were made from plant and
animal sources. Modern fragrances are primarily
synthetic materials developed since World War II.
Did you
know that 600 or more chemicals may be used in a single fragrance, and
95% of chemicals used in them are derived from
petroleum? Why? Petro-chemicals in perfumes are less expensive and more
easily available than the natural ingredients.
Many
chemicals used in fragrances are considered hazardous waste disposal
chemicals! Synthetic fragrance compounds accumulate in human
tissue and are found in breast milk.
An EPA
study in 1991 listed the 20 most common chemicals used in “fragrance
products” which are used not only in perfumes but to scent
shampoos, soaps, deodorants, lotions, creams and other beauty
products. Here’s the list – it speaks volumes on its
own:
1. Acetone
2.
Benzaldehyde
3. Benzyl
4. Benzyl
Alcohol
5. Camphor
6. Ethanol
7. Ethyl
Acetate
8.
Limonene
9.
Linalool
10.
Methylene Chloride
11.
a-Pinene
12.
g-Terpinene
13.
a-Terpineol
14.
1,8-Cineole
15.
b-Citronellol
16.
b-Myrcene
17. Nerol
18. Ocimene
19.
b-Phenethyl Alcohol
20.
a-Terpinolene
There are
relatively few studies available concerning the use and exposure to
fragranced products. Testing by the cosmetics/fragrance
industry focuses on skin effects without taking into account
respiratory, neurological, or systemic effects.
There is little regulation of fragrance by regulatory agencies.
Not
only is too much perfume often offensive to many, more and more people
consider it to be an indoor air pollutant. Some
are quite vocal about their opposition to the use of perfumes.
For years, I thought I was the only one who got
headaches from strong perfume!
There is a
movement afoot to curtail the use of fragrances in the work place. Many
businesses, at the request of their employees, are
creating fragrance-free policies. Given that many people are
highly affected by allergies, this makes sense (pun
intended, get it? … sense…scents…).
But
seriously, given that we are bombarded by more and more hazardous
chemicals and pollution, having less on our bodies, homes and in
our workplaces must be better for ALL of us.
Breathe
deeply and live well!
About
the
Author:
Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a
Fitness Trainer for 26 years and writes exclusively Body for Mind
eZine. She holds certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and
Personal Fitness Training. She is also a professional engineer
and a mom. To find more articles by Ainsley, go
to http://www.bodyformind.com
or the blog at http://www.bodyformind.blogspot.com
Sources:
Neurotoxins: At Home and the
Workplace, (Report by the Committee on Science & Technology, U.S.
House of Representatives, Sept.16, 1986. (Report 99-827)
“Living Healthy in a Toxic
World,” David Steinman 1996
“Stink-Free Office Mates,”
Natural Health Magazine, Nov./Dec. 2000.
http://www.ourlittleplace.com/chemicals.html
"How Fressh is the Air Freshener?"
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1664954,00.html?cnn=yes
This Week's Featured Product:
The Seven Components of Self-defense -Building Blocks of
an Effective Personal Safety Strategy
by Randy LaHaie
The study of self-defense cannot be easily defined with quick, easy,
and over simplistic solutions. Acquiring a legitimate sense of control
over your personal safety requires knowledge and skills in seven key
components.
Neglect any of them, and you do not have a complete and effective
safety strategy.
Component #1 Survival
Psychology
The need to feel safe and secure is ingrained in all of us. Many
psychologists consider the fear of interpersonal violence to be a
"universal human phobia." The thought of becoming the victim of a
criminal or violent act is disturbing. Unmanaged fear or a sense of
helplessness can erode our health and the quality of our lives. Being
safety conscious does not mean being fearful, paranoid, or afraid to
leave your house. Quite the contrary, self-defense knowledge and skills
build a sense of control essential to a sense of security and
well-being.
Survival psychology consists of three broad areas:
- Understanding
and managing FEAR
- Motivating
yourself to be "RESPONSE-ABLE" for your personal safety through study
and training, and...
- Understanding
the impact SELF ESTEEM has on emotional resilience, crisis performance
and victim selection.
Component #2 Survival Intelligence
Your most powerful weapon is your brain. Understanding the dynamics of
confrontations will have a big impact on your ability to recognize,
avoid or respond effectively to violence.
Survival Intelligence is the cultivation of knowledge, intuition,
awareness and assessment skills. Every violent situation is preceded by
pre incident clues. Knowing how to recognize and respond to them is the
essence of successful self-defense.
Component #3
Understanding Victim Selection
Psychologists showed a videotape to penitentiary inmates who were doing
time for violent crimes. The tape depicted several people going about
their day-to-day activities. The inmates were instructed to indicate
which of the people on the tape they would select as victims.
The researchers were surprised at the consistency of the selections
made. An analysis of the results identified common traits unique to
those who were selected and those who were passed over.
Not everyone will become the victim of a violent crime. In fact, for
everyone who is victimized, dozens more are evaluated and passed over.
By understanding first of all that there is a selection process, as
well as the criteria of a "desirable target", you can influence that
process.
People who are trained in self-defense are seldom confronted. Their
awareness and skills (movement, posture, etc.) project unconscious
signals to a predator that they are not an easy target. The predator
looks elsewhere.
Component #4 Recognizing
Predatory Behavior
There are no unique physical characteristics that separate people who
victimize others from those who don't.
Usually, they look just like anyone else. However, behavior is another
matter.
Most communication is non-verbal. We transmit much of our intent in the
way that we communicate and behave.
There are essentially two types of "bad guys" to be aware of. The
predator, who deliberately sets out to locate, select and attack a
suitable victim and the ticking time bomb. The latter is emotionally
unstable and prone to violent outbursts. Unlike the predator, who is
more methodical in his approach, the time bomb will lash out at
anyone who happens to get in his way.
By understanding predatory selection and attack methods, you are able
to recognize and avoid them. This involves learning to detect and
recognize behavior cues that identify a potential assailant before the
selection process is complete.
Component #5 Response
Option Theory
It is dangerous and negligent to imply that there is a single solution
to ALL threatening situations. There is, in fact, a range of responses
available to you. The situation and circumstances will dictate which of
them is most appropriate.
When learning a response system, you must also consider the legal
consequences of your actions. We all have the legal right to defend
ourselves. However, at what point does an effort to defend yourself
become excessive? How do we know how much force to use to defend
ourselves? Any self-defense program should discuss your legal right to
defend yourself, how to respond appropriately and how to justify your
actions.
There are 5 categories of response options relevant to confrontational
situations. They are:
- Compliance
- Escape
- De-escalation
- Assertiveness
- Fighting
Back
Which one
is the most appropriate depends on the circumstances and nature of the
confrontation. You should possess skills in each response category as
well as the knowledge about when each is applicable.
Component #6 Prevention
Tips
Prevention tips are simple, precautionary steps you can take to reduce
the likelihood that you will become the victim of a crime. However,
these lists of "do's and don'ts" could number in the hundreds.
It is unlikely that you will remember them all. You don't need to. By
understanding the operative principles behind prevention tips, you can
improvise safety tactics "on the fly". Armed with this knowledge and
your own common sense, you can incorporate those tips with which you
feel comfortable and which are conducive to your lifestyle.
Component #7 Training
Methods
Competence is the result of your physical conditioning, skill and
attitude. Effective self-defense skills are the result of gradually and
consistently incorporating safety habits into your life. For those who
do take the time to enroll in a self-defense class, realize that
without review and practice, 70% you learned will be forgotten.
There are many benefits to adopting the study and practice self-defense
into your regimen. It can be used to improve fitness, to manage stress
and to create safer habits that can reduce the potential of being
accosted or attacked.
The most frequent questions I am asked by seminar candidates are: What
can I do to follow-up the training I received? What can I do to feel
more confident and build on my skills? That is the primary purpose of
my web site.
Conclusion
In the future, I will provide more in-depth information within each of
the seven components. I will include articles, recommend good books,
and highlight resources to improve your self-defense knowledge and
skills. If you have any feedback, suggestions or questions, please send
me email. I'd like to hear from you.
In the meantime, be "response-able" and stay safe!
If you have any questions or comments please click on my name to email
me:
Randy LaHaie
Protective Strategies
About the author:
Randy LaHaie is the owner of
Protective Strategies, a training and consulting company providing
personal safety training to individuals, high-risk professionals and
law enforcement officers. He has an extensive self defense and
use-of-force background spanning almost 30 years. The Protective
Strategies Self Defense Resource Center is located at: http://www.ProtectiveStrategies.com . Randy can be contacted by email at:
Randy@protectivestrategies.com
Mid Life Crisis- The
Emergence of Our True Self
By Frankie Picasso
Mid life Crisis is not a disease or an event that one can avoid. It
afflicts everyone who lives through their middle years. There is no
warning as to when it will hit you, but when it does, it likely will
come at the worst possible time, but then again, when is a good time
for a meltdown?
Most likely your time will differ from that of your friends and others
close to you like your Husband or Wife, since our Middle years can
begin anytime from our mid thirties through one’s fifties and everyone
is different.
Don’t even think you can avoid mid life Crisis, because you can’t! No
amount of money or influence can get you out of this one. How you
endure the transformation and to what degree you suffer or not, will
vary as widely as those who experience it. You know the cliché,
forewarned is forearmed, so knowing what will happen and how to survive
the experience in tact, can go a long way. Right!
I may have been exaggerating slightly about how ominous Middle aged
Crisis can be, because I wanted to grab your attention. However, we
have all heard the jokes about middle aged crisis and know that within
all jokes, there does contain a grain of truth. The truth here is that
some of you will experience a major shift in your lives, while for
others the change may be more gentle. Do not doubt that change is on
its way. It is inevitable! You may not have say on if or when it will
happen, but you do have a say in how you will deal with it. Each and
every one of us is equipped with a silver bullet in our personal
arsenal to deploy as we see fit. This is something that you may already
be using or something that you have yet to take out. It matters not
because you never run out of it. It is the most effective weapon we
have and that is Attitude!
As a Life Coach, we use our attitude and perspective to help our
clients deal with many issues in their lives until their own attitude
can take over. In fact, we often say that if we only have one tool to
use, Perspective would be it. How you view things, and the attitude you
take toward life’s ups and downs, (your perspective), has a dramatic
effect on how you cope. Are you a glass is half full or half empty
person? Do you laugh in the face of danger or do you run and hide in
terror? Are you someone who is afraid of change or do you embrace it
like me? Do you see problems or opportunities for improvement? Positive
and negative personalities are obviously opposites of each other, with
the extremes differing in folks all up and down the spectrum of the
pole. I can certainly find folks who exemplify the ends of the pole,
those with very strong outlooks, but for those who are fence sitters,
you now have an opportunity to change your attitude. Only you know how
you experience the world around you, but I know that a positive or
negative attitude will affect how you experience what I have coined,
The Emergence of our True Self. How would you like to go through life?
Seeing opportunities or finding problems everywhere? The choice is
yours.
Look at this time as an amazing opportunity for you to take a peek
behind the veil, the cloak of mystery that is you. Avidly seek out the
answers to questions that have plagued mankind since the beginning of
time. I know that as a child I lay in bed and many times looked up at
the sky and wondered, “Why am I here”? “What is my purpose?” “How can I
be more than I am?” These are the questions that will now be answered
for you. This is your time to finally solve the mystery. View this time
as a positive experience. This is your time and it has been given to
you so that you can emerge as your True Self. Feel all of it; embrace
the experience, even the tough stuff. Remember the butterfly and its
struggle to emerge from it’s cocoon. You may struggle through this time
but you will emerge a more content person for it. I am positive about
this.
Middle Aged Crisis, struck this week and it happened to a man we will
call Dan. Let’s see how it begins so we know what to look for. Dan is a
slightly paunchy, balding middle-aged man in his late 40’s, whose one
attempt of rebellious attitude towards his wife, was to go against her
thrifty nature and adorn the front end of his mini van with a ‘bra”!
One day, Dan left his ‘bra’ behind and came home wearing a shiny new
candy apple red corvette instead. It looks like the van was traded in
for this gorgeous sexy rolling piece of penis envy. After the ‘big wow’
fell out of your dropped jaw, was your next thought the same as mine
“now there’s a guy whose wife is going to kill him”? Where are the kids
going to sit? Is Dan a classic case of a man having a mid life crisis?!”
Will his ‘search” for himself end here or will Dan take it a step
further? It seems that several of the guys in Dan’s office have traded
their wives of 3o years for 30 yr.old wives. We don’t know if Dan knows
any 30 yr; old women so we will have to wait and see about that. Dan
seems to be the poster boy for Middle Aged Men in crisis but what about
woman? Are they immune to mid life angst and do men and woman manifest
their symptoms in the same way? Joan Rivers and her G-force facelift
might be the perfect example of a woman who is still searching for more
in her life but can’t get past her mirror. We often joke about woman
and their hot flashes, but do they wake up all sweaty and then head out
in the morning to buy sexy cars or is there another measure of being
unsatisfied they go for? I have a few lady friends who were the very
last women in the world I EVER expected to radically deviate from their
MOM role. It seemed at 40 something, they woke up one day and traded
their beautifully decorated home, mommy and wifely duties for a
basement apartment and freedom. Did it mean they loved their children
less? Nope, it just meant that they were compelled to find out who they
were after being a mom and wife. Yes, a few became what is commonly
referred to today as Cougars, woman who prey on younger men, but for
the most part, they seemed to be genuinely seeking themselves. Either
this was something that was lost, or something they never had in the
first place.
So is Mid life Crisis a valid condition or an excuse to be selfish and
make up for poor choices along the way? Is it a human condition that we
will all experience in varying degrees as we pass through their middle
ages, or is it reserved for those who share certain personality traits?
Is it possible that it is related to female menopause or male
Andropause? Do hormones have anything to do with the ‘stress and
distress of those in the eye of this storm? Are these people as out of
control as they sometimes seem to be?
I am not a doctor and do not know the answer to these questions but I
do know as a Life Coach and a woman in her middle years, that there
seems to be a great many people in this age category who are seeking
and searching for something that will fill a part of them that is
missing. They have a great desire for something more in their life, but
what that MORE is they don’t know. It is a time of personal reflection
and for some breaking out of a mold that has held them for many years.
Perhaps you know someone who has quit their executive position or
walked out on their 30 year marriage. It doesn’t always make sense,
this behaviour, but there is common theme. CHANGE!
It seems that many are seeking their destiny, and the meaning of life.
They want to know what their purpose is and where they fit into the
Grand Scheme. They want to know what this thing called LIFE is all
about, and they are seeking their soul, their soul mates and
questioning long held beliefs. Spirituality is a common theme, and many
search for their connection to something larger than the known world
and for answers they go to the Unknown world
A metamorphosis is taking place and I see it as our third great
struggle of life. The first is being born, the second is adolescence
and now this time I will coin, The Emergence of Self. The emergence
because it is our true self we are seeking. Not the daughter, son,
mother, father, doctor, cook or any other label we have put on
ourselves, but OUR true SELF , our true soul, the nature of who we
really are. It seems this is a time where anything can happen and does.
Sometimes those who are most surprised by what happens next are the
seekers themselves.
As adolescents we go through the change together, it is expected, so
resources are in place to help us deal with it. Our families and
teachers are there for us, supporting the change. Now in our mid 40’s-
50’s, it seems we face this change alone. No longer are our buddies,
families or teachers there to support us. In fact, it may be that those
closest to you don’t understand why you are contemplating the things
you are. They may argue that you are making a big mistake and you don’t
know what you are doing. Even if this is true, and in many cases it is,
there doesn’t seem to be anything to do about it except ride it out.
Have you ever wondered at the timing of all this? Why is it so
important to KNOW right now? Why upset the apple cart at this stage of
your life?
Perhaps it is so that our time here is not wasted in the larger sense.
Many of us as children had a dream or a goal. I think that this first
memory may be the truth of who we really are and why we are here.
How many of us have stayed true to who we were? I know that there have
been many times in my life that duty as a daughter, a mother, and even
a wife have taken precedence over who I wanted to be. So maybe this
frustration, this time of wanting is really the only way to help us
break the chains of ‘good behaviour’ and allows us the time to search
for our lost selves or if you believe in the metaphysical then perhaps
we are waking up to what brought us here in the first place, our
contract or mission. Have you felt that there is a master plan but you
haven’t been let in on the details?
The there is a great secret, albeit unknown to you, and almost like a
cosmic joke, it is at your expense. Why does this transformation take
place? Is there a way of escaping it? I think not. It seems to me a
natural progression to a higher state of being if we are lucky. It
seems we all go through the process, albeit at slightly different ages
and degrees of angst. I believe that this is one “Crisis” that is
supposed to happen and rather than describe it as a crisis we could
rename it as a transformation. We have all have known a “Dan”, a 50
something guy who finally buys his corvette, or his Harley, leaves his
wife or leaves his job- any or all of these are fairly common and
classic crisis behaviour. As I said earlier, Women are not immune
either. We can all envision the Cougar, a woman in her mid to late 40’s
who used to be Suzy Homemaker and is now on the prowl for a 2o
something guy to make up for her boring life.
On the outside, this behaviour seems selfish and I suppose in some ways
it is. But remember, this Emergence is about self and change and change
never comes easily. There is always a struggle and in this instance,
doing what is opposite in nature of what one has always been done may
be one of the catalysts to the next step. These folks are in the midst
of a chemical and physical transformation. Alchemy is taking place.
When all is said and done, they will be different.
They are reaching out for their world to make sense and hopefully when
all is said and done, they will have found peace. Peace within
themselves and peace with their outside world. We know that these folks
want more, but and the sexy car, younger mate is not the whole answer
because change on the outside does not equate with change on the
inside. I feel that this transformation may actually be harder on us
than adolescence. When we are young, we have out parents to support us.
We walk en mass with our friends to school and we are all going through
stuff together. But mid life, we do that one by ourselves and many
times, we wreak havoc on the lives of those we love the most. This
change, this metamorphosis, cannot likely be stopped, anymore that you
can stop breathing, but for some, it comes with great cost. Our bodies
change- we don’t child bear anymore. We have wrinkles and grey hairs
sprouting from places they aren’t supposed too. Our skin on our hands
begin to thin and become translucent, showing the blue of our veins. We
fear we are losing our sexuality, our vitality and our ability to be
‘seen’ as one of the players. We fear this invisibility and we fight to
be more than we are, because we want to stay in the game. We also know
that we are more than we are showing. We wake to an unknown dream or
assignment and strive to fulfill our life’s mission, but the guide book
is missing. The map is gone and our hands flail in the wind seeking
something solid to grip onto. It’s a turbulent time until one day, you
wake up and your life begins to make sense again. You start to realize
what is important. Who you are and what you are passionate about. You
know what you love and whom you love and you have a sense of the
greater picture. You know why you are here. You understand your ties to
the past and what you bring to the future. The Emergence of Self will
happen whether you plan for it or not. At some point in your life mid
life, an amazing discovery of self will take place, and I hope that you
complete your transformation all the way until you feel at peace within
your heart and the world around you. For those of you who are wondering
what signs to look for or if you are currently experiencing your
transformation, below you can find a list of common features:
Typical features of mid-life include:
- Experiencing healthy dissatisfaction……..yearning for
more…..is this it??
- What worked before no longer rocks your world.
- The changing body becomes your guide.
- You get used to uncertainty
- You want to give back
- You become much more than you thought you were.
- Your values change significantly
- You are getting a hefty whiff of you own mortality.
- The emergence of wisdom
Mid-life challenges that Coaching can assist with:
• Finding your Passion
• Removing FEAR from the Change Process
• Learning how to acknowledge and accept others
• Learning to Communicate at heart level
• Reconnect with your SELF
• Leaving Guilt Behind
• Trusting your instincts
• Creating a vision
About the author:
Frankie Picasso is a Certified
Professional Guerrilla Life & Business Coach, Platinum Author,
Motivational Speaker & Tele-class leader. Break free from your
self-imposed limits and use your imagination to create a life of
endless possibility. Experience your magnificence first hand...
coachpicasso@sympatico.ca
Comic
Relief
This
is the road to enlightenment, revised...
1.
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for
I may not follow. Do not walk beside me for
the path is narrow. In fact just leave me alone.
2.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a
flat tyre.
3.
The darkest hour is just before dawn. So if you' re going to steal your
neighbour's milk, that' s the time to do it.
4.
Sex is like air. It' s not important unless you aren't getting any.
5.
Don' t be irreplaceable. If you can' t be replaced, you can' t be
promoted.
6.
Always remember you' re unique. Just like everyone else.
Dave
and Ainsley Recommend:
Efficient Sports Nutrition
Products
By:
Kadence Buchanan
When it comes to working out, there are literally thousands of
different products which claim that they can assist your body in
gaining muscle while burning fat. It can be quite difficult to sort out
the truly effective products amongst the shams. In this article, we'll
inform you about some of the most useful products that you can by to
supplement your workout plan.
One product which has received a high amount of respect in the world of
weightlifting is known as creatine monohydrate. This substance is
produced in minute quantities within the body, and it helps the body by
providing energy to the muscles. Since your muscles get extra energy
when you take creatine, you can push your workout a few reps further,
therefore increasing the likelihood of a muscle mass gain. It also
causes water molecules to bond more efficiently to muscles, causing
them to be of an increased size while on the formula. Be cautioned,
though; when you stop taking creatine, you will lose much of this
water-weight. Creatine is still efficient, however, due to the extra
energy that it allows.
Creatine is often used in cycles by bodybuilders to ensure that their
body does not face decreased creatine production, with a common regimen
consisting of a twenty gram per day ‘loading period' for the first
week, followed by three weeks of ten grams per day. Next, you skip
taking creatine for four weeks. In this way, the body's natural
creatine production is not altered by the supplementation.
Glutamine is another supplement that is often revered by serious
bodybuilders. It performs a number of functions within the body, and it
is the most abundant amino acid that can be found within the human
skeletal muscle system. Those who take glutamine often find themselves
having shorter recovery times, a boost in immune functioning, and a
higher growth hormone output. All of these aspects can be most helpful
to an aspring bodybuilder, and glutamine, creatine, and protein are the
staples of most serious bodybuilders' supplement programs.
Be sure to read any health risks that a supplement may have before
beginning a regimen - not every supplement is right for every type of
person and it's important to do all that you can to protect your
health.
About the author:
Kadence Buchanan writes
articles on many topics including Sports, Games, and Recreation
Ainsley's Favorite
Relationship Experts Susie and Otto Collins:
 
Starbuck's
Coffee May Help Prevent Skin Cancer?
By:
Rusty Moore
Those
"Double
Tall Latte's" may be healthier than you think! A study at Rutgers
University studied the effects of caffeine combined with exercise. What
they found was very surprising. When used together, exercise and
caffeine doubled the levels of a tumor-suppressing protein(phospho-p53).
So
drinking
coffee and exercising may prevent cancer in sun-damaged skin cells by
increasing the level of a tumor-blocking protein in the body.
"We think
this
points out a need for more studies to see if the combination will
protect people against sunlight-induced skin cancer," said the study's
Senior Researcher, Allan Conney, the Director of the Laboratory for
Cancer Research at Rutgers University.
This
research
was conducted as a result of a previous study on Green Tea. It was
found that only the caffeinated version of Green Tea helped get rid of
DNA damaged skin cells. The decaffeinated Green Tea had no effect to
repair damaged skin cells.
Here is a
Great Way to Combine Caffeine and Exercise for Maximum Benefits
- Eat
as little as possible 4-5 hours before your workout
- 30
minutes before training drink two cups of coffee or 3 cups of Green Tea
- Hit
cardio hard for at least 30 minutes, since the caffeine will have an
increased fat burning effect on an empty stomach
It looks
like
mother nature wants us to drink coffee! So Starbucks is a health food
store...I knew it! Don't go crazy here...coffee and green tea is great
as long as you don't load it down with sugar and cream. Stick with
black coffee. My drink of choice is a "Double Tall Iced Americano".
This is basically a fancy way of making iced coffee with espresso
shots, water and ice. You can make a similar drink with brewed coffee,
but it isn't quite the same.
I have
always
been a big believer of drinking a calorie-free caffeinated beverage on
an empty stomach to have the best fat burning workout. Little did I
know that caffeine was also reducing my chances of getting skin cancer.
This is great news to all coffee drinkers out there!
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Stress
and Erectile Dysfunction
By:
Marc Deschamps
What's the
connection between stress and sexual difficulties? Because it raises
blood pressure and cholesterol, stress contributes to a greater risk of
erectile dysfunction (ED). Under pressure, people tend to smoke,
overeat and abuse alcohol, behaviors that also place men at higher risk
for ED.
The brain
is the key player in the physical process of creating an erection. If
the part of the brain responsible for sending the necessary impulses to
the penis receives negative and positive messages, it will respond by
releasing chemicals that constrict the blood vessels in the penis and
inhibit the natural process that causes an erection.
The debate
about the underlying causes od ED finally seems to be over. It's now
generally agreed that organic problems account for approximately 80% of
cases of ED, whereas psychological factors alone are responsible for up
to 20%. Organic factors include :
- Vascular
disease
- Diabetes
- Abnormal
nerve function
- Hormone
deficiencies/abnormalities
- Surgical
procedures
-
Medication use
-
Peyronie's (a condition causing curvature of the penis)
-
Lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol use and poor diet
But having
a chronic illness can cause psychological stress, which in turn may
further increase a man's vulnerability to erectile difficulties. For
example, studies suggest that roughly 20% of diabetic men with ED have
symptoms consistent with a primarily mental or emotional origin. One
study found that roughly 38% of ED cases in a sample of 75 diabetic men
could be attributed primarily to psychological causes. Men and their
partners who are able to cope effectively with the stress of disease
are less likely to develop sexual difficulties, regardless of the
presence of medical problems.
Although
physiological damage is usually the source of impaired sexual
responsiveness in diabetics, one study showed that this can improve
spontaneously even in patients with diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage
caused by diabetes), usually when they form a new realtionship or when
marital conflict decreases. Rates of spontaneous remission of erectile
dysfunction in men can range from 9% to 36%.
These
examples point to the complex interplay between psychological and
physiological factors. One thing is quite certain : even when the cause
is a physical condition or medical illness, most men with ED feel
psychological vulnerable and all men feel that their masculinity is
threatened.
Women can
pretend to be aroused, even they are not. Whether worried, distracted
or stressed, women can often fake arousal and even orgasm, chances are
that few men can honestly tell the difference. On the other hand, it is
impossible for a man to fake an erection. Erectile dysfunction is
obvious and repeated negative experiences can lead sex to become
embarrassing and humiliating for men. A host of psychological problems
such as anxiety, fear and even depression may follow.
Stress is
virtually everywhere and no one seemms to be immune to its influence at
one time or another. While it can take various forms and has different
implications for individuals, it is clear that it has a huge impact on
our quality of life and our sexual health. Hera are some key strategies
to work on to help you take charge of your sexual life and keep stress
at a manageable level for you :
- Better
manage your time and do not cram your schedule
- Take
time to talk to others
- Slow
down!
- Do
things that give you pleasure
- Seek
solitude when needed
- Engage
in relaxation exercises
- Maintain
a healthy lifestyle, including exercises and proper diet
Proper
management of your stress level is important. The benefits are
immediate : you will feel more relaxed and experience an improvement in
your sex life.
About the author:
Marc Deschamps is the editor of
http://www.For-Men-Only-Magazine.com,
a free online publication dedicated to the sexual health of the modern
man. Click here for more information on Causes of Erectile Dysfunctions.
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