Healthy News for Healthy Nation

The TV show “How to Look Good Naked” has been a raging success and with good reason - it tackles women’s insecurities about their bodies and makes them feel good about themselves - a sure-fire winner.

For a show about how to look good naked an awful lot of attention is focused on how to look good in clothes. I guess the confidence you get from looking good out and about (and the admiring glances you receive) translates to you feeling altogether better whether you’re wearing clothes or not.

Although the show has to be applauded for attempting to make women feel good about themselves without trying to change their shape, it does go against the grain a bit for me because I am all about helping people to improve their bodies and their health.

Let’s Face it - Your Mirror Doesn’t Lie

When you take your clothes off to get in your shower or to make love to your partner, you no doubt want to look good naked and when you look into your mirror . . . it tells you the truth, whether you want to ‘hear it’ or not. For many people, the mirror is the only time they ever see their toes . . . their excess flab, their love handles and every other bit hang without support - which means ‘how to look good naked’ is more than looking good in clothes.

And I believe the best way for you to look good naked is for you to actually work on your body so it’s the best it can be.

Nevertheless you can do a lot without making yourself feel bad about your body and feeling you are less than perfect because you can’t manage 2 hours a day in the gym.

So what can you do WITHOUT too much effort?

1. Good Fuel

Looking good naked is not about losing weight - most of the women in the show would have liked to be lighter but sexy does not have to mean twig-like. In fact it’s easier to be sexy with a few womanly pounds of flesh here and there than with a bony too-skinny look. Looking good naked DOES mean caring for your body with the right foods to make you feel great - good food and plenty of water to keep you nourished, hydrated and full of energy. And quite often the right foods will result in a slimmer body anyway.

2. Avoid the Pregnant Look

No one is going to look good naked with a stomach stuffed full of pasta. (Just look how you get a 5 months pregnant look next time you go into carb overload). If you want to look good naked, make sure you eat in moderation before you take off your clothes! And if the pregnant look is a constant feature of your body (and you haven’t stuffed yourself with carbs for ages) sign up for the FREE 5 Easy Ways to Flat Abs course here on this site and do something about it in just a couple of minutes a day.

3. Firm Not Flabby

It’s not only our stomachs which look better toned. We all look better - excess flesh or no excess flesh - if we have great underlying muscle tone. Just a few minutes a few times a week spent firming, toning and strengthening your butt, thighs, chest and arms will go a long way to making you look great without your clothes.

4. Pampered Soft Skin

The ladies on the Look Good Naked show have plenty of pampering beauty treatments to make sure that their skin is soft, hair-free and smooth. Flaking, rough skin, goose bumps and hairy legs are not the look you are aiming for…

5. Beautiful Color

If you’re pale, an even and subtle fake tan always makes flesh more attractive in and out of your clothes and helps cover a multitude of sins (fat and cellulite…to name but two).

6. Hair Update

Your hair is the only fashion statement you’ll be wearing so it needs to look current, soft, healthy and touchable (give the hairspray and sticky gel a miss). Most important of all you need a cut which suits the shape of your face and is in proportion to the size of your body. Find a good hairdresser and visit often for a regular trim and occasional restyle.

7. Don’t Forget Your Extremities

Make sure your hands and feet are beautiful with a professional manicure and pedicure or learn to do it yourself. Chipped nail polish, rough hands and jagged nails are not going to win any prizes in the Look Good Naked stakes.

8. A Bit of Makeup

You don’t want your face paint to come off on the bed clothes but a bit on subtle makeup can work wonders to accentuate your good points and camouflage the points you’re less than happy with. And you can also use a bit of body makeup to cover up flaws such as spider veins.

9. Smile

Don’t forget your teeth. If they don’t enhance your look and they make you want to hide your smile it’s time to save up, get over any fear you have of the dentist and get them sorted out.

10. Let Your Eyes Sparkle!

When your smile reaches your eyes you want them to sparkle not show the effects of too many nights burning the candle at both ends. Get plenty of beauty sleep before a big night or as a last resort for a special occasion, use those brightening eye drops.

11. Smell Good

Don’t overpower the world with too much fragrance or use a whole selection of competing products - differently perfumed shampoo, deodorant, soap and body lotion can be a toxic combination. Lightly layered perfume from matching bath products and no more than a light spray of fragrance from the same range will leave you smelling good as well as looking good.

12. Lighting

Remember that none of us looks our best under bright fluorescent light - soft lighting or candle light will improve the mood of the moment AND your body.

If all else fails, you’ve eaten too much pasta, your jeans have popped the first 2 buttons, you’re bleary eyed, your make-up is smudged and you never did do your toning exercises, bear in mind - the person you are getting naked with probably couldn’t care less - especially if you are going to get jiggy with it!

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Shiny and soft hair is considered as the woman’s crowning glory. They can either make or break a woman’s appearance. However, females are not spared from hair thinning. They experience it just like men experiences baldness. And this can be very devastating for them. This just goes to show that no gender is exempted from this dilemma. Different treatments for women are now available in the market. However, one must first identify the reason for the problem before a treatment is done.

1. Aging is the most well-known cause of hair loss among women. Unlike men, women decreases production by the time they reach 35 to 40. It is part of normal life cycle where both man and woman shed hair as they grow old. This is called the Androgenetic Alopecia and is accountable for 95% of the problem in both genders.

2. Every year, the rate of woman’s hair loss is rapidly increasing and is gradually running after the huge rate among men. Changing lifestyle would have something to do with this. Although researches found that women are more health conscious than men, they are more figure-conscious when compared to the opposite sex. As a result, they find ways to be skinny such as skipping meals. When there are not sufficient amount of nutrition in the body, one’s well-being is affected. Visible results can be seen at a woman’s skin texture, eyes, nails, and of course in the liveliness of their tresses. If undernourishment goes on for months, it would gradually result to hair fall. Components of anti-depressant and diet pill may alleviate hair loss as well.

3. Aside from lifestyle, women are said to be more prone to hair loss than men because they use more chemicals on a daily basis than the latter. Mouse, gel, hairsprays and strong shampoos have intense substances that may irritate the follicle causing to be incapable of producing healthy strands of locks. Tight hairstyles such as pigtails, tight braids and even rollers may also give the same effect. Treatments like hot oil or hair perms, although most salons claim that it can give a healthier and shinier hair as a result, may often lead to scalp inflammation and in the long run, a thinning hair.

4. Nowadays, women live a very stressful life. Physical and emotional stress leads to an unhealthy hair production. Usually, three to four months after giving birth, most women undergo a so-called post partum hair fall. This also happens after having an abortion or miscarriage. These and other events that only a woman may experience, makes this gender even more susceptible to this problem. Moreover, a woman may also lose few strands of her locks when beginning or ending an intake of birth control pills.

In case you notice that your hair is rapidly decreasing, seek professional help immediately. The problem may not only be a sign of malnutrition or aging but may also be an early warning of a serious health disorder such as cancer or thyroid problems.

Author is the webmaster of Hair Loss Treatment. You may be interested in Vitamin and Hair Loss and Natural Hair Loss Products.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=W._Darren

Although they may be ugly in appearance, varicose veins may have a serious impact on the general public’s quality of life. This is generally because vein disease affects the younger working population. Approximately one third of the population between the ages of 18 - 64 suffers from varicose veins that may be caused by chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). This medical disease may cause chronic pain in the legs and inhibit patients from standing for long periods of time. Other symptoms including fatigue, heaviness, aching, burning, throbbing, cramping, itching, and restlessness of the legs may preclude patients from performing their daily jobs. Patients suffering with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) often must rest to alleviate the symptoms.

Failure to recognize varicose veins as a medical disease by the patient as well as many family doctors may often lead to neglect proper treatment. Without proper treatment of varicose veins may advance the disease to reach end stage CVI. This may include venous stasis dermatitis, chronic brawny leg edema, phlebitis, hemorrhage, or ulceration. The manifestation of these end stage conditions will require additional treatment and rehabilitation for the patient. Therefore, it is critical that patients with varicose veins be examined and evaluated by a qualified phlebologist.

New endovenous technologies have revolutionized the treatment of varicose veins and CVI. Patients no longer require an operation with general anesthesia, scarring, and prolonged rehabilitation to treat this disease. Endovenous procedures may be performed in the physician’s office by a qualified phlebologist. The entire procedure requires only a needle puncture and leaves no scarring. The patient may return to normal activity immediately following the procedure.

Jeffrey B. Ware CFA
Certified Surgical Assistant
Associate with The Laser Vein Center for Excellence
Hagerstown, Maryland
http://www.thelaserveincenter.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Ware

I want you to think for a moment, what is a typical male?

Who pops into your head? Is it tough and silent like Humphrey Bogart or popular and stylish like David Beckham? Depending on your generation you would obviously have a different person in mind.

I would like to focus on one aspect and attempt to blur the division. Does the typical male use skin products? Does it make him less of a man? Perhaps the new millennium has shattered the image of a typecast male, distorted the gender boundary and turned him into a metrosexual. A metrosexual is a new buzzword that basically means a straight guy that likes to indulge in traditionally female pursuits.

Its official! Men do wear make up and not just on the TV and movies! All you have to do is walk in to the nearest department store and you will see a slew of shelves dedicated to men’s cosmetics to cater to the male vanity. Grooming seems to have taken a strong foothold in the male daily routine. Men have gone a long way from the simple $2 a liter apple scented shampoo of the early 80’s to a clinically tested (not on animals of course) hypoallergenic $21.95 pineapple facial skin scrub from the Body Shop! There is now even a company called Menaji that specializes in male cosmetics.

A market survey from NPD Group, a market information company, confirmed that in 2002 American men spent $1 billion in grooming products of which $47 million was just for skincare products. Nowadays men have no qualms about getting the odd facial or manicure to have that competitive advantage over their more slothful brothers.

But I want to get personal. I just presented to you figures based on the general population. I am going to ask you to fess up. Raise your hand proudly and admit you have used a cosmeitc. Welcome to be metrosexual brotherhood!

In my book, a cosmetic is any of the following: moisturizers, skin toners, shaving cream that has aloe or any moisturizing additive, facial washes, blemish removers or masks. Do any of these products that I have presented here look familiar to you?

Don’t be alarmed! I am not trying to put you on the spot. Apparently 9 of 10 males believe that looking good is essential in the business place.

I must confess I actually own and use most of the products I listed before. I use the shaving cream because I don’t fancy shaving scars. The moisturizer and toner help keep my face moist and avoid having a dry flaky face in the morning after a shower. I use the nose pack simply because I like to admire my blackheads after I use it. The strip of paper resembles a yellowish black forest of trees on a white background.

I believe we all want to look good. When we look good, we actually feel confident. It’s amazing but when I wear a good suit I stand a little straighter. The sudden increase of males using vanity products is just a sign of the times. If it works for 50% of the population, why not give moisturizers a try. Facial soaps are better for you than normal soap so why not try it. We all want to look healthier don’t we? Besides, there is no gender when it comes to health.

I predict a trend that more and more men will be more conscientious of well being both physically and mentally. The typical male is only a subjective term bound to the ideals of the current generation. My generation says that looking healthy is genderless. My generation says that there is a demand for male skin care products. If a man wants to have flaky skin all day and a red bloody neck after each shave then that’s his prerogative. Using a better product doesn’t make him less of a man but a smarter man.

Read more interesting articles from the male perspective at http://www.thirtiesclub.com/categories/Single/For-Men

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Lim