Don’t fret.  If you live in what some creative real estate people call  “efficiency” apartments – you know, the kind with no garage and no bedroom and about half a window – this shouldn’t be a hindrance to getting your workout equipment in place.  Here’s how:

Start with the “Small Portables”

Let’s not think “equipment” here, because this conjures up images of heavy and bulky machines that take up a lot of space.  Instead, let’s focus on tools and accessories that are easy to carry around, and can also be stored away snugly in closets, shelves, or perhaps behind stereo speakers.

There’s now a “supermarket” variety of exercise accessories that will help us get started on our fitness routine.  The most basic of these are the dumb bells.  Some retail outlets (or gyms) will even sell used equipment at a nice discount.  Remember: purchase dumb bells with weights that you can lift comfortably, and purchase two others with pounds that are either heavy or too heavy.  The reason for this is that you want to challenge your muscles and grow them. A good guide, according to exercise therapists, is to choose a weight that you can do eight repetitions with no problem, and the ninth and tenth repetition “to failure”.

Another popular small accessory for resistance training is elastic bands; and again, you don’t need a lot of space to work with them.  Bands are available in varying lengths, depending on the type of exercise you’re doing.  For instance, there is what some retailers call the “power shaper” which you can use to increase bicep size, work your shoulders, or tone your chest and triceps.

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 If you’re not into dumb bells or elastic bands, there are jump ropes and mini trampolines as well.  Some of these mini trampolines will fit in your closet with no problem.

Of course, lest we forget the toning balls, Swedish balls, and medicine balls.  They primarily help tone the thighs and abdominal muscles, but can also strengthen other core muscles, such as the back and the chest.  These balls are typically sold with charts and step-by-step instructions on how to properly perform various strength-building exercises.

Equipment: Lightweight and Portable

Let’s not think “equipment” here, because this conjures up images of heavy and bulky machines that take up a lot of space.  Instead, let’s focus on and that are easy to carry around, and can also be stored away snugly in closets, shelves, or perhaps behind stereo speakers. 

Let’s not think “equipment” here, because this conjures up images of heavy and bulky machines that take up a lot of space.  Instead, let’s focus on and that are easy to carry around, and can also be stored away snugly in closets, shelves, or perhaps behind stereo speakers.       

There’s now a “supermarket” variety of exercise accessories that will help us get started on our fitness routine.  The most basic of these are the dumb bells.  Some retail outlets (or gyms) will even sell used equipment at a nice discount.  Remember: purchase dumb bells with weights that you can lift , and purchase two others with pounds that are either heavy or too heavy.  The reason for this is that you want to challenge your muscles and grow them. A good guide, according to exercise therapists, is to choose a weight that you can do eight repetitions with no problem, and the ninth and tenth repetition “to failure”.  

Another popular small accessory for resistance training is elastic bands; and again, you need a lot of space to work with them.  Bands are available in varying lengths, depending on the type of exercise you’re doing.  For instance, there is what some retailers call the “power shaper” which you can use to increase bicep size, work your shoulders, or tone your chest and triceps.          

If you’re not into dumb bells or elastic bands, there are jump ropes and mini trampolines as well.  Some of these mini trampolines will fit in your closet with no problem.         

Of course, lest we forget the toning balls, Swedish balls, and medicine balls.  They primarily help tone the thighs and abdominal muscles, but can also strengthen other core muscles, such as the back and the chest.  These balls are typically sold with charts and step-by-step instructions on how to properly perform various strength-building exercises.

No, sorry, that used treadmill that the gym has put up for sale will not even make it through your front door.  These treadmills are for industrial use and are built to handle extreme pressure.  If you insist on a home gym, albeit the limited space available for it, go for the machines that can be folded and stored easily.   Most machines like ellipticals, stair climbers, treadmills, and recumbent/upright bikes are now built for home use, and as such can be easily folded and hidden in some nook or cranny (kind of like an ironing board).  

Less is More

Yup, we live in the area of the micro-everything.  Computers, cars, and now, fitness equipment.  More people are demanding items that fit into their somewhat limited living spaces, and manufacturers are listening loud and clear.  Explore your options, and don’t let “not enough space” be your excuse for avoiding a healthy lifestyle!

Regardless of age, human beings rely on recalled information to get by everyday. Even at an early age, kids utilize information as part of the learning process. It may be as simple as learning how to tie shoelaces on his own, remembering what needs to be done in case he finds himself separated from his family in malls, learning numbers and the alphabet, and remembering the names of persons close to him. A lot of things learned at this period become integral to the life of a growing child and is referred to in the following years.  

As kids continue studying, a number of things add to the list of what is needed to be remembered. Students need to refer to a lot of notes and lectures for these. Understanding complex lessons is a hard task. But to accurately remember these ideas involves even greater efforts. During examinations, what is retained in the minds of the students becomes the gauge of what he has become. What a student remembers from his educational endeavor, will have to be recalled the moment he is absorbed in the workplace.  

Adding to the complexity of life are more things for an adult to keep in mind. There are bills, PIN codes, household matters, events, work matters, etc. The list of things to remember goes on.  And as long as life continues, the list will not cease to expand. Knowing that all things are intertwined, there is no room for mistakes caused by forgetting.  

It can be generalized then that the series of human activities strongly rely on the ability to recall and apply what has been learned in the past. And that is what memory is basically all about. Memory then can be defined as the ability to retain or preserve knowledge. More so, memory has a lot to do with how a person functions independently and successfully.  

Unfortunately, in as much as people are faced with the fact that memory is important in our daily lives, they might as well be open to the fact that people do experience memory loss. This may be due to normal forgetting, or as part of the system to psychologically respond to negative situations such as fear or trauma, or because of the complex organization of information to short-term and long-term memory.  

One may also find that the discrepancy between the visual and verbal means of acquiring information affects our memory. Studies have shown that tending to learn through visual mode more (i.e. television shows, movies/documentaries) makes one’s right side brain develop more than the left side, thus affecting information recall. 

Acknowledging these facts will lead to understanding that memory improvement is not for the elderly alone. 

·         It is for people who want to maximize their learning

·         It is for people who want to make the most of what they have learned.

·         It is for people who have the will to be more than just someone who has average memory.

·         It is for people who want to use memory to their advantage.  

Elderly people benefit from memory improvements by having them live as they did before memory loss and it is thought that this can help to slow memory decline.  

Then think of what memory improvement can do to a mind that has not reached the gray years. There are a lot of ways by which one can improve their memory nowadays. These are available to practically anyone who seeks the advantages of a powerful memory. The promise of something better is at the hands of those who want to improve.  

Truly, knowledge is power. But greater power comes from what is retained in the mind. It is not enough to get facts. The next important thing is to know how to properly store them in your “mental database” for future reference and use. The brain is such a marvel, and its limitation depends solely on the limitations that its owners set forth. There are infinite possibilities for a brain that knows the right strategy.

To keep your memory functioning at peak performance:

-Stop multi-tasking and start focusing.

-Do some mental exercise.  Memorize your grocery list, lyrics to your favorite song, or multiplication tables.  Repetition means retention.

-Take up chess, dancing or martial arts.  These activities prevent memory loss by requiring mental and physical coordination.

-Try new experiences. Enroll in an arts course or travel somewhere you have never been.

-Eat brain food.  Strawberries, blueberries, and spinach are all rich in antioxidants that help protect brain cells and prevent blood clots.

Diabetes has become so widespread that the United States spends as much as $100 billion a year for the healthcare of Americans with diabetes.  Millions of people all over the world have diabetes.  The sad thing is most of them do not know they have it until it is too late. 

Diabetes is a devastating disease which can damage the vital organs of the body   including the kidneys, heart and the eyes.  While diabetes does not really kill people, it can result to more serious and complicated diseases.  Diabetes may not kill people as a general rule, but it makes them lose their eyesight, and leads them to kidney and heart problems, and later on, death.  

People with diabetes can survive the diseases provided they practice proper health care.  Those who do not have the disease, but are in danger of getting the disease due to heredity, can avoid getting the Big D through proper nutrition.  

Aside from heredity, the top cause of diabetes is improper diet.  Modern man’s propensity for leading hectic lives has led them into eating the wrong kinds of food.  Man has become so obsessed with wealth creation and pleasure, that he has no more time to prepare a well-balanced meal.  Thus, the modern man’s diet consists of canned goods, processed fish, meat and vegetables that can be eaten immediately by just popping it inside a microwave.  The modern world has convinced man to have a preference for refined food, from sugar to grains.  

Most people who are healthy all their lives are getting diabetes and the culprit is the kind of food they eat, and our ignorance as to the nutrient content of the food we eat.  

But there are health-friendly foods that are available in the market, one only has to learn how to recognize and eat them.   It’s just a matter of changing our choice of food, like preferring whole grains over refined grains such as brown rice, whole wheat bread and the likes.  Eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat, sweet and oily food.  It also helps to read the labels of processed food, to determine the amount of one’s carbohydrate intakes.  

Most people shy away from eating right because of the misconception about proper dieting.  It is okay to eat certain kinds of food but you need to know how to eat them properly like knowing the proper number of servings, or the better way of cooking such food. If you find vegetables boring, then be creative in your food preparation.  Differently-colored salads can encourage your good appetite.  

If you can’t resist oily food, then avoid going to fast food joints because seeing french-fries hungry people will just make your saliva drop and will make you forget you diet.  

So how does one know that he already has diabetes? The common symptoms are frequent urination, fatigue and being thirsty all the time.  Diabetes simply means too much glucose in your bloodstream.  Too much glucose in the body requires more water, thus making you feel thirsty most of the time.  With thirst comes an increased water intake, making urination frequent.  

The other symptoms of diabetes includes an increase or decrease in weight, blurred vision,  sores or wounds that are slow to heal and sometimes lead to infections and  tender gums. 

Obesity makes one at a greater risk of getting diabetes so it is also important to watch your weight.  Those who have excess fat in the belly are more prone to being health risks.  Weight gain or about 10 to 20 pounds, no matter how moderate, can also make one a candidate for diabetes. 

Aside from eating the right food and watching one’s weight, it is also good to increase one’s physical activity.    It does not necessarily mean you have to become a sportsman all of a sudden.  Gardening, although a mild physical activity, can help you relax and lose weight as well.  Try ball catching or ball kicks with your children, it is not only a good way to bond but is also a way to lose those extra fats. 

Eating is such a pleasure, particularly if you know how to eat right.

Unlike a slower, simpler lifestyle a generation or two ago, staying healthy these days is a full time job, requiring a set of behavioral patterns tempered by military-type discipline.  It isn’t enough to be fit or healthy anymore: you have to be both!  It isn’t enough that you can run 3 miles without taxing your heart, but you also have to make sure that your organs – kidneys, liver, lungs — run like clockwork.  And as you know, it isn’t enough that you get your daily quota of fresh air and nutritious foods, but you also have to make sure that there are no tumors or lesions lurking in your insides that someday will turn into malignant masses that have to be dealt with in a hurry.

So to all of the stressed-out women in the audience today: sorry.  Swimming three times a week, eating meals packed with nutrients, and downing those vitamins won’t suffice.  Not anymore.  Healthcare specialists are universally agreeing that women need to take a gender-specific route to optimal health.  

Standard Tests
As the Mayo Clinic directs, your annual physical must include dental check-ups and eye exams (to detect problems like glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts).  The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends an eye exam once a year between the ages of 20 and 39, every two to four years between age 40 and 64, and every one to two years beginning age 65.
The annual physical must also include a fasting blood sugar test (as high glucose could trigger the onset of diabetes), and skin exams; the American Cancer Society’s opinion is that beginning at age 20, a skin exam should be part of a cancer-related check-up.

Special Tests for Women
The Mayo Clinic recommends specific tests for women, depending on their age and risk factors. 
·        Blood pressure test:  this should be done at age 18 and then every two years.  It’s a myth that heart disease strikes more men than women.  On the contrary, more women suffer from heart disease — but only 13% of American women know they have the disease!

·        Cholesterol test:  this should be done at age 45, but if you’re at risk of coronary heart disease, your doctor may recommend screening at an earlier age.

·        Clinical breast exam/mammography:  this should be done at age 40, and then once every two years.  Note that a clinical breast exam is not the same as a mammography, which should be done at age 50 and then depending on your risk factors, once every year or two years.  A mammography involves your breasts being squeezed between two plates, with an X-ray of your breast tissue.

·        Pap test:  You should have a pap test within three years of your first sexual relationship, or at age 21, whichever comes first, and must be done every three years.  In this test, cells are taken from your cervix and the canal leading to the uterus, and then examined for cancer or precancerous cervical changes.  You’re at risk is you have had multiple sex partners, a history of sexually transmitted diseases, have abnormal cells in your cervix, a history of vaginal, or vulvar cancer and you’re a smoker. 

·        Pelvic exam:  Like the pap test, a pelvic exam should be done at age 21 or within three years of your first sexual encounter, whichever comes first, and is typically done in conjunction with your pap test.   This exam detects if you have any abnormalities in your uterus and ovaries such as cysts, tumors, infections or muscle weakness.

·        Colon and rectal cancer screening:  This test should be done at age 50, and the frequency of screening will depend on your level of risk.  You’re considered at high risk if you are 50 and older, have a family history of colon or rectal cancer and personal history of bowel disease.  This test looks for any cancer in the colon and rectum.  Like the men’s tests, screening can be done either through a fecal occult blood test, sigmoidoscopy, colon x-ray or colonoscopy.

·        Bone density measurement:  The Mayo Clinic advises that for women, bone density tests should begin at age 65.  However, many doctors believe that women must have their bones tested at the onset of menopause (usually around age 50).

·        Sexually transmitted disease test:  if not checked regularly, sexually transmitted diseases can affect your reproductive organs, and in the case of AIDS, can be life-threatening.  Doctors now encourage pregnant women to screen for HIV and syphilis.
So women out there, please pay attention: being healthy is a tall order. 

As the cliché goes, health is wealth, and to protect it, you must continuously invest in it.  These tests above may be inconvenient – and admittedly uncomfortable — but make no mistake.  These tests can save your life! 

Roman, Grecian, Arabic and Hindi women used henna to color their hair and tattoo their bodies.  The historical artwork of Botticelli depicts women as rounded as cherubs.  

Interestingly, current trends toward body piercing and tattooing are nothing new but merely a resurgence of historical practices. 

If you think today’s obsession with beauty is something new, think again!   Men AND women have been in touch with their bodies and beauty dating back as far as the ancient Egyptians.  The Egyptian’s concern was based as much on pleasing the “gods” of their time as it was for personal adornment.  

In fact, it could be said that they prepared their bodies more for the “afterlife” than the current time.   All one need do is read about the tombs and mummies that have been excavated and study what was found.  Lavish pictorial examples reveal how extravagantly the aristocracy lived their lives.   Just take a look at the detail the next time you have an opportunity to view Egyptian archaeology reports.   Gold and silver bracelets, lapis and jade pendants, rings of gold studded with semi-precious stones.  All are evidence of just how deeply involved the human race is with beauty and adornments. 

Many wore wigs and false braids with jewels threaded through them.  Women wore elaborate combs and pins made of copper, bronze and silver.  Oddly enough, silver was considered a more precious metal than gold and was widely used to decorate boxes and pots where they stored their implements of beauty. 

For all of their elaborate trappings, much of it was not just an attempt at satisfying their vanity.  They held the belief that certain metals and elements were specifically tied to powers that were bestowed upon them by the “gods,” so a great deal of the adornment was steeped in spiritual belief.  

Women and men both used a paste made from copper material to paint their eyes a vivid green.  Ochre, a red clay, was used to tint their lips.  

Ancient Grecians displayed their vanity through elaborate hairdos.  Each hairdo was a visual message letting you know their age, if they were married and how far up the socio-economic scale their class.  The same practices were followed up by the Romans.  

The ancient Chinese women enjoyed wearing jewelry as well, choosing gold and jade.  Here is another example of a gemstone that was revered more highly than gold.  Jade was available only to the very rich.  

The next time you hold a thought in your mind that we are peopled with a society more focused on beauty than any other in history, just remember, we come by it naturally. . .from our ancestors!  

IS BEAUTY REALLY SKIN DEEP?  

The answer is yes and no.  It’s a paradox, isn’t it?  True beauty begins from the inside out.   Don’t you wish there were some way to “wriggle your nose” and regain that soft skin you had as a child?  Well, until someone comes up with the true “Fountain of Youth,” we are stuck with what we have.  

The best route to healthy skin is to take care of what you have.  Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  The truth is that your skin takes a beating from the environment every single day.  Here are some of our favorite tips for keeping your skin fresh and healthy:  

1.     Stay hydrated, and drink plenty of water!  That doesn’t mean soda, caffeine or any other type of liquid even if it is low cal.  Soda (even diet soda) has a high concentration of sodium.  Sodium retains fluids.  You need fluid that will hydrate and flush your body free of toxins.  Make sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses a day!  

2.     Protect your skin from harmful ultra violet (UV) rays.  We all love the sun.  We love being in it and we love having a beautiful tan.   The truth is you can poison yourself with too much sunshine.  UV rays cause skin cancer, and if that isn’t bad enough, it causes your skin to age faster than it should, contributing to unsightly wrinkles.  If you must play in the sun, make certain you are using an adequate sun screen.  Don’t leave home without it!  

3.     Apply your sun screen even if you only make a quick trip to the grocery store.  Yes, you can get harmful UV rays even while driving your car!  

4.     When you purchase sun screen, make certain you are buying the right tool for the job.  There are different types of UV rays and they don’t all affect our skin in the same ways.  The time of year also has a bearing on how much damage the sun can do to your skin.  Altitude is another important factor.  UV rays are more intense at high altitudes.  Sunshine alone is not the culprit.  You can do just as much damage to your skin (or in some cases even more) on a cloudy day!  

5.     Don’t forget sun screen for your lips.  They want to be healthy too!  

6.     Apply your sunscreen BEFORE going outdoors and allow plenty of time for it to adequately absorb into your skin cells rather than just sitting on top of the skin.  

7.     Read the labels on skin care products.  The truth is that some ingredients may do more harm than good.  The more ingredients are listed, the more potential harm they can do to your skin.  Here is a list of some of the common ingredients found in skin care products that have the potential to irritate your skin:  

Ammonia, Arnica, Balm mint, Balsam, Bentonite, Bergamot, Benzalkonium, chloride,    Camphor, Cinnamon, Citrus juices and oils, Clove, Cornstarch, Clover blossom,         Coriander, Eucalyptus, Eugenol, Fennel, Fennel oil, Fir needle, Geranium, Grapefruit, Horsetail, Lavender, Linalool, Lemongrass, Lime, Marjoram, Melissa (lemon balm),       Menthol, Mint, Oak bark, Orange, Peppermint, Papaya, Phenol, Sandalwood oil,        Sodium C14-16 olefin sulfate, TEA-lauryl sulfate, Thyme, Wintergreen,                    Witch hazel, Ylang-ylang  

8.     There are a few ingredients that are totally banned by the Food and Drug Administration and should be avoided:  

Bithionol, Mercury compounds, Vinyl chloride, Halogenated salicylanilides, Zirconium complexes in aerosol cosmetics, Chloroform, Methylene chloride, Chlorofluorocarbon propellants, Hexachlorophene, Methyl methacrylate monomer in nail products  

9.          Keep your skin clean.  Use a soft warm cloth.  Skin does not require scrubbing.  You will do more harm than good if you do.  

10.    Exfoliate dead skin cells every night.  

11.        Create your own facial masks.  Here are a couple of excellent masks that you can create with ingredients right from your kitchen:  Oatmeal mask:  Mix oatmeal with skim milk and apply.   Eggs:  A raw egg yolk makes an excellent face mask. Try adding a little honey to the egg yolk for a change of pace. Mayonnaise makes another terrific face mask and will leave your skin feeling very soft.  

12.    Try a milk of magnesia facial.  Apply directly from the bottle and leave on for 5 to 10 minutes then rinse with warm water.  

13.    Moisturize dry skin with essential oils.  A combination of juniper, cypress, mandarin and grapefruit will work as an astringent that will leave your skin feeling tighter.   If your skin is extra dry, premix the essential oils with a teaspoon of carrier oil (mineral oil) and ad ¼ cup of milk or a tablespoon of honey to give you added moisturizing.  

14.    If you have particularly sensitive skin, try a Pepto Bismol facial.  Apply with a soft cotton ball directly from the bottle; just as it soothes the stomach, it will sooth your skin.  Cover your face and neck and allow it to dry before rinsing.  

15.        Use an antioxidant cream.  You are bombarded every day with environmental toxins that attack the surface of your skin.  In fact most damage to the skin can be attributed to free radicals.  When you expose yourself to toxins like air pollution, free radical production increases.   Apply an antioxidant cream to your skin before applying your sun screen.  

16.    If you have oily skin, only apply a toner in the T zone, your forehead and nose.  

17.        The best cure for wrinkles is to never have them in the first place!   If you are like most of us, you didn’t listen to your Mom when she tried to tell you to stay in the shade, stand up straight and stop squinting!  

18.    Unlike Cleopatra, we live in the nuclear age and wrinkles can become a thing of the past.  Consider “laser skin resurfacing.”  It is supposed to work for those fine lines and wrinkles of any depth.  This technique reminds you of the “light swords” in the Star Wars movies.  It literally zaps and vaporizes away the lines and wrinkles.  The procedure is conducted in the doctor’s office and it’s said that you heal within a week or so.  Expensive?  Yes.  Fast?  Yes, much faster than deep chemical peels or dermabrasion.  

19.    If your budget won’t handle laser skin resurfacing you might try a skin peel.  There are several types.  There’s dermabrasion as we mentioned.  This procedure literally sands the top few layers of your skin off, just like refinishing furniture!  It’s done with a wire brush that rotates and is said to remove even deep wrinkles.   

20.    Maybe you would prefer something a bit less abrasive, pardon the pun.  If so, you might consider a deep peel.  This process is accomplished using an acid and is for moderately deep wrinkles.  There are some risks associated with the acid procedure.  It isn’t as stable as the laser resurfacing because there is less control of the acid solution.  

21.    Have a glycolic or beta peel.  This process won’t do much for your wrinkles, but if you are only looking to improve general skin tone, this is the one for you. 

22.    Try Retin A.  If you want to see a smoothing of fine wrinkles and an overall healthy glow that will remove mottling and give your skin a youthful blush, then this is the route to go.  

23.    You can avoid all the nastiness of the previous treatments by choosing collagen injections.  The biggest challenge with this choice is it is temporary, lasting just a few months, so you have to repeat the procedure frequently.  

24.        Stop shaving your legs and use hot wax.  Much gentler on your skin.  

25.    Mix up a tablespoon of brandy along with a smashed up peach and apply to your face for twenty minutes then rinse.  Makes for a great summer facial.