The magic of water

Stay Slimmer with Water

Trying to lose weight? Water revs up metabolism and helps you feel full.

Replace calorie-laden beverages with water, and drink a glass before meals to help you feel fuller.

Drinking more water also helps amp up metabolism - especially if your glass is icy cold. Your body must work to warm the water up, burning a few extra calories in the process.

Water Boosts Your Energy

If you’re feeling drained and depleted, get a pick-me-up with water. Dehydration makes you feel fatigued.
Water helps the blood transport oxygen and other essential nutrients to your cells.
If you’re getting enough water, your heart also doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood throughout your body.

Lower Stress with Water

85% of your brain tissue is water. If you’re dehydrated, both your body and your mind will be stressed.
If you’re feeling thirsty, you’re already a little dehydrated.
To keep stress levels down, keep a glass of water at your desk or tote a sports bottle and sip regularly.

 Build Muscle Tone with Water

Drinking water helps prevent muscle cramping and lubricates joints in the body.
When you’re well hydrated, you can exercise longer and stronger without "hitting the wall."

Nourish Your Skin

Fine lines and wrinkles are deeper when you’re dehydrated. Water is nature’s own beauty cream.
Drinking water hydrates skin cells and plumps them up, making your face look younger.
It also flushes out impurities and improves circulation and blood flow, leaving your face clean, clear, and glowing.

Stay Regular With Water

Along with fiber, water is essential to good digestion.
Water helps dissolve waste particles and passes them smoothly through your digestive tract.
If you’re dehydrated, your body absorbs all the water, leaving your colon dry and making it more difficult to pass waste.

Water Reduces Kidney Stones

The rate of painful kidney stones is rising because people - including children - aren't drinking enough water.
Water dilutes the salts and minerals in your urine that form the solid crystals known as kidney stones.
Kidney stones can't form in diluted urine, so reduce your risk with plenty of water!

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Generally, nutritionists recommend we follow the "8x8 rule."
Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
You may need more water if you exercise or sweat heavily.
You may need less water if you drink other beverages often.

How to make a barren women get Pregnant

You've decided to have a baby! Now you're probably wondering: how long will it take to get pregnant, when should we have sex and how often? Find out here.
The Odds of Getting Pregnant
It's a common question: what are the odds that I'll get pregnant this month? For most couples trying to conceive, the odds that a woman will become pregnant in any particular month are about 15% to 25%.
But there are some caveats, and different things can affect your chances of getting pregnant. They include:
   - Age. After you reach 30, your chances of conceiving in any given month diminish, and they fall further as you get older, dropping steeply in your 40s.
   - Irregular menstrual cycles. Having an irregular cycle makes it tricky to figure out when you're ovulating, which makes it hard to know the ideal time to have sex.
  - Frequency of sex. It may seem pretty obvious, but the less often you have sex, the less likely you are to get pregnant.
  - Amount of time you've been trying to conceive. If you haven't gotten pregnant after one year of trying, your chances of becoming pregnant may be lower. Talk to your doctor about tests for female and male infertility.
  - Illnesses or medical conditions that can affect pregnancy.
Sorting Out Your Menstrual Cycle
Most women conceive faster if they understand their menstrual cycle. It's important to note that many women do not have regular cycles
Your cycle begins on the first day that you notice bright red blood -- not just spotting -- and it ends on the day before the next cycle begins. The length of a woman's cycle can vary from 21 to 35 days or more. If you notice that the length of your cycle varies by a few days from one month to the next, then your cycle is considered irregular.
Here's another common question from couples trying to conceive: How often should we have sex? In short, the answer is often.
A lot of couples trying to conceive spend a lot of energy timing sex, with mathematical precision, to the woman's ovulation. Theoretically, the approach makes sense. Recent studies have shown the window of opportunity for a sperm to fertilize an egg is pretty small: essentially, it's only the four to five days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself. Your best chances are on the day before and the day of ovulation. So the key would seem to be to have sex frequently in that five- to six-day window.
But while timing your lovemaking exclusively to those few days makes logical sense, it has some drawbacks -- primarily because your body doesn't always behave with clockwork regularity. Even if your cycle is regular, ovulation can occur at any time during the cycle. If you're having sex on the day you think you're ovulating, and you're off by a few days, you may be out of luck.
So the expert advice is to hedge your bets: have sex at least two to three times every week. And if you've got the stamina, why stop there? Studies have shown that as long as your partner has a normal sperm count; having sex every day of the month further increases your chances.
Going Off the Pill to Get Pregnant
People trying to conceive often wonder how long it takes for the effects of birth control medication to wear off. It's actually possible to become pregnant immediately after going off the pill -- as soon as the pill's hormones are out of your system -- although in many cases it will take a few months before ovulation begins normally again.
You should also know that it's safe to conceive right after you go off the pill. Women who conceive immediately after going off the pill are as likely to have a healthy baby as women who waited a few months in between.

How to prevent benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an enlarged prostate gland. The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. As the prostate gets bigger, it may squeeze or partly block the urethra. This often causes problems urinating.

BPH occurs in almost all men as they age. BPH is not cancer. An enlarged prostate can be a nuisance, but it is usually not a serious problem. About half of all men older than 75 have some symptoms.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is also known as benign prostatic hypertrophy.

What causes BPH?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is probably a normal part of the aging process in men, caused by changes in hormone balance and in cell growth.

What are the symptoms?

BPH causes urinary problems such as:

-        -   Trouble getting a urine stream started and completely stopped (dribbling).

-        -    Often feeling like you need to urinate. This feeling may even wake you up at night.

-        -    A weak urine stream.

-        -    A sense that your bladder is not completely empty after you urinates.

In a small number of cases, BPH may cause the bladder to be blocked, making it impossible or extremely hard to urinate. This problem may cause backed-up urine (urinary retention), leading to bladder infections or stones or kidney damage.

BPH does not cause prostate cancer and does not affect a man's ability to father children. It does not cause erection problems.

Secrets to a Better Love Life

Too much boredom in your bedroom.  Revitalize your sex life with these 10 tips. By R. Morgan Griffin

Most of us can remember the hot -- and frequent -- spicy moments when the romance was new with our partner. But eventually the fire of a good love life may die down. Over time, the sexy nighttime languishes hidden in the sock drawer, the massage oil gathers dust next to the athlete's foot powder in the medicine cabinet, and you and your partner have what feels like a humdrum sexual life.

So what is the secret to a better love life that lasts? Suggestions from two experts on sexuality -- Michael Castleman, author of Great Sex: A Man's Guide to the Secret Principles of Total-Body Sex, and Louanne Cole Weston, PhD, a board certified sex therapist.

The Sweetness Factor

By Jessie Knadler Looking for a relationship pick-me-up? All you need is a spoonful of sugar. “It’s easy to feel embarrassed or shy about being sweet to each other, especially in our cynical, hard-edged culture,” says REDBOOK Love Network expert Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D., author of The Commuter Marriage. “But adding sweetness to your words and actions is the best thing you can do to bring positive energy to your relationship, which makes everything else easier.” Bonus: It’s human nature to copy...

Make Dates

Castleman and Weston are in firm agreement that couples that have been together for a while need to plan time for sex.

"Make a date for sex," says Castleman, a health journalist who previously answered questions about sexuality submitted to the Playboy advisor. "Don't let it be an afterthought,"Do whatever you like to do beforehand, go to a movie or dinner, take a walk, have a glass of wine by candlelight, whatever the couple likes to do as a couple. But set aside that time."

But, you might cry, isn't scheduling unromantic? Isn't sex supposed to be spontaneous? Rare is the lover with a daily planner fetish, after all.

But Castleman has a blunt response. "Grow up," he says. "What's the problem with making a date for sex? People make plans for other things they enjoy, like ski trips or dinners out."

One good suggestion for a better love life is to take regular nights away from home.

"For couples that have been together for a while, sex can become routine," says Castleman. "You're worn out by the end of the day, after the job, the laundry, the kids' soccer games, and the errands.

"And instead of champagne and oysters on the half shell with a sweeping view of Lake Tahoe as your reward, you've got your same old crummy house and peanut butter and jelly and that's about it," he says. It's not exactly conducive to an exciting sex life.

It can be hard to give into the moment when you're having sex in your all-too-familiar bedroom. Your mind wanders. Did I remember to set the alarm clock? How much will it cost to repair that water damage on the ceiling?

"Lovemaking is, fundamentally, a present moment experience," says Castleman. "The best sex comes when you're not thinking about the past or the future, but only the present. And that can be hard in a room where you've always got grandma's picture smiling down on you."

Castleman recommends getting away to a place that is stripped of these reminders of everyday life. It doesn't have to be a fabulous spot by the ocean, or at least it not every time. A non-descript place off the Interstate might be just fine.

Redecorate the Bedroom

Of course, having a sex life that's wholly dependent on trysts at hotels and overnight babysitters may be a problem if you're not fabulously wealthy, childless, and unemployed. So in addition to some trips away, make some changes at home.

"The bedroom does build up a lot of mundane associations," says Weston. "But if you can do anything to transform your bedroom into something new and different, that can make a big difference."

Lighting some candles is an obvious suggestion. But maybe getting a nicer set of sheets and a new bedspread will make a difference. Also, removing some of the junk -- the kids' toys, the piles of laundry -- that tends to accumulate in a bedroom out can have an effect. Think about ditching the bedroom TV, too, or at least trying life without it for a while.

The Secrets of Kissing-Revealed

How to Make a kiss memorable.
Whether it's your first kiss with someone new or your lifetime partner, kissing usually leaves an impression -- one that lingers long after your lips have locked.
Kissing often plays an important role in relationships. "It fosters romantic compatibility," says Michael Christian, author of The Art of Kissing (published under the pen name William Cane). "The more people kiss, the more they're able to communicate on a romantic level."

The First Kiss
Kirkland Desmond, a software engineer in Tampa, Fla., vividly recalls his first kiss with his wife a decade ago. They were sitting on the couch in her dad's living room and as he leaned over to kiss her, he lost his balance and fell off the couch, pulling her down with him.
"I was so nervous because she was completely out of my league," he says. "So our first kiss happened while we were laughing and 10 years and three beautiful children later, we're still laughing and kissing every chance we get."
If your first kiss -- or any of the many that follow -- isn't what you're hoping for, talk about it. Many couples hesitate to talk about kissing out of embarrassment, Christian says.
Don't be shy about telling your partner what you like or asking what your partner prefers, just don't do it while you're kissing so your partner doesn't take it as a rebuke.

Men's and Women's Kissing Mistakes
Most of us have clear preferences -- turn-ons and pet peeves -- when it comes to kissing styles.
Christian says men's biggest mistake is that they're too aggressive with their tongues. And men claim that women don't open their mouths wide enough.
For both sexes, the No. 1 kissing complaint is lack of variety, Christian says. He recommends kissing the different parts of your partner's face and paying special attention to the ears and neck. He suggests biting softly on the lower lip and nibbling gently on the earlobe.

The Art of a Happy Marriage

There is an art to maintaining the intimate relationships in our lives.Explore our experts' perspectives, and learn new techniques to improve your own relationship skills.

Even when people are sure of their love, the decision to enter into marriage is always a gamble — as is clear from the commonly quoted statistic that 50% of marriages end in divorce. An important question that naturally arises from this number is what are those who remain happy together doing right?

All marriages have their ups and downs; all people have their strengths and weaknesses; and all couples have areas of disagreement. But those who remain happy manage to view their relationship through a positive lens. They see the parts of their marriage that are most positive as the parts that are essential. However, most importantly, they are flexible about this. As the positive and negative aspects of their relationship shift with time, so does their judgment about what is essential — but they always focus on the most positive aspects in the moment.
Along with this positive perspective, they view their spouse’s problems, imperfections, or annoying habits in a way that neutralizes their impact. One approach they use is viewing these things in a benevolent way. For instance, a wife might understand her husband’s snapping as the result of a hard day instead of thinking of him as just being disrespectful. Such positive attributions help relationships to remain stable and supportive.

How To Keep Your Man From Cheating

How to keep your man from cheating

When men cheat, it is quiet simply, the other women are giving them what they need.

It might be a lack of affection, it might be a lack of love, that he doesn’t feel respected, it might just be that he wants that tingling sensation of being with someone who finds him sexy.

Whatever it is, if you want to keep him from cheating your best bet is to prevent any of these gaps from occurring in the first place.

This is a scary issue to confront though, I sympathize that being cheated on is not something any women wants to deal with, so if you learn how to keep him from cheating in the first place, hopefully you’ll never have to:

2. Pack out your own life - Why are you getting so obsessed with what your man is up to all the time?

If you set strict rules like this in your relationship, he’ll be more apt to break them and become a cheating man.
If you want to keep your man, you need to surround yourself with good friends, hobbies, rewarding work; in other words, keep your man from cheating by keeping your own life!

Women who are self-sufficient are sexy. If your man feels smothered by you, he’ll be more likely to wander astray to re-assert his freedom. So to keep him from cheating you must give him freedom yourself! Let him realise on his own that you’re the only women he wants to be with.

Nine times out-of-ten, a cheating man doesn’t go astray because he’s fallen in love with another woman, but simply because the other woman gives him a feeling that is missing from his own relationship.

3. Are things staying sexy? - I really want to write this article without using hackneyed old dating terms like “spicing things up” or “turn up the heat”.