India, next super power?

Stop jogging! It doesn't always help lose weight

Mon, Jul 26 02:23 PM

London, July 26 (IANS) Running might not be the ideal form of exercise, especially if you want to lose weight.

Says Greg Brookes, a London-based personal trainer: 'Lots of people start running to lose weight and it doesn't always work - and this is why.'
'Fat is one of our body's favourite sources of energy,' says Brookes. 'The more you run, the more your body prepares itself for your next run. You will actually start to hold on to more fat,' the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.
Brookes, with a clientele that includes celebrities, high-fliers and housewives, suggests why you won't get leaner is that the body is an amazing machine and will adapt to anything.
'The more time you spend running, the better you become at running and the more efficient you get, the less energy you use and the fewer calories you burn,' says Brookes.
According to him, running is also bad for joints. 'When you run, two-and-a-half times your bodyweight is transmitted through your joints.'
'If that force is repeated over and over, eventually your weakest joint will give out. Usually the ankles or the knees are the first to go,' he adds.
Contrary to popular belief that any exercise will speed up your metabolism, running can, says Brookes, do the opposite.

AIIMS doctors claim turmeric can cure epilepsy

Mon, Jul 26 02:54 PM

GOOD OLD turmeric can cure epilepsy, too, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have found.

They have also found it effective in boosting memory and reducing stress.
Research carried out on rats at the department of pharmacology at AIIMS has yielded positive results. "Epilepsy requires long-term antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy, which is advised according to symptoms. However an effective prevention or cure for epilepsy hasn't been available and many drugs in use have side-effects," said Dr K. H. Reeta, assistant professor of pharmacology at AIIMS.
According to her even new classes of AEDs are not free of side- effects. Phenytoin is a commonly used AED that has been found effective against all types of seizures. But it also causes cognitive impairment (a condition in which thinking abilities are badly affected) in patients as it damages essential macromolecules of the body, including DNA.
"Toxicity is common in patients of epilepsy treated with phenytoin, and thus requires careful drug-level monitoring and supportive care," said Dr Yogendra Kumar Gupta, head, pharmacology department, AIIMS. "The goal of AED therapy is freedom from seizure without side-effects. But this hasn't been achieved. The reasons for this include misdiagnosis of the type of seizure and prescription of the wrong AED," Reeta said.
" Phytochemicals (chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants) have been shown to possess a wide range of properties that facilitate effective treatment without side- effects.
Therefore, we investigated the effects of administering turmeric to rats that suffered from phenytoin-induced cognitive impairment and oxidative stress (the process in which highly reactive molecules such as free radicals impair particular cellular functions)," Dr Jogender Mehla of AIIMS said.
The research team found that turmeric, when administered orally with phenytoin, significantly prevented cognitive impairment and oxidative stress.
Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.
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Few spots in Bangalore where you can enjoy Snacks.

For people like my Husband and Brother who love street food.

Kumarakrupa Highgrounds-Aloo mattar and Samosas.

Food street- VV puram- Capcicum and chilli bajjis.

Infinitea-Cunningham Road- famous for different types of tea.

Kasi Vishwanath samosawala- shanthinagar/near Jain temple off KH road- Place for bread pakoras, samosas, and hot jalebies.

BAJJI AJJI- Nanjappa Circle- Alu Bondas and Mirchi Bajjies.

Ebrahim Sahib Street- Everything you get here from dosas to bajjies.

BDA Park-80 feet road, Koramangala. From mysore curmuri to Chinese food.

10 Simple Rules for the Best Job Interview 

Started by Kevin Cormac, Contributor at New Grad Life

Prepare for your interview by a review of these 10 rules. They will guide you to be confident, speak with clarity and use the interview to show your talents, fit and value. This is your moment to stand out and get hired.

Rule 1: Think “fit.”

The interview is as much for you to determine if the company is the right fit for you as for the company to decide if you are the right fit for them.

Rule 2: Impressions matter.

Be on time. Be professional and conservative in your appearance. Watch the length of the skirt and the cut of the blouse. Shirts should be pressed, neat and should fit you. Your care about yourself is a statement about the care of your work.

Rule 3. Be positive, upbeat, optimistic and congenial.

Notice details around you to ask about to start a casual conversation; this helps both parties relax. Be human and work first to connect to the interviewer as a person.

Rule 4. Have three great questions ready to ask to show that you want to fully understand how you can make a significant difference in the company.

This also ensures that if you feel an uncomfortable pause, you have a question ready to keep the conversation moving. Here are my suggestions:

1. How do you share information and performance expectations with your employees?
2. What do your employees like most about working here? What do your employees find most challenging about working here?
3. How are employees held accountable for making a difference in their jobs?

Rule 5: Focus on your value.

Interviews are the time for you to give more details about what you are great at and how you add value. Don’t be shy about your ability to make a difference. Be sure you can quantify your impact; give details about how you improved things, invented things, saved the company money, brought a team more together, etc. The more you can focus the interview around your value, the more the hiring company will see that they need you.

Rule 6: Be confident, not arrogant.

There is a fine line between being confident and sure of your abilities, and starting every sentence with “I.” Confidence is what they want to see in an interview and if you are applying for a job that uses what you are good at, and you are passionate about doing, you will be confident. If you interview for jobs that don’t match your interests, talents and passions, you will find that you have to make yourself sound greater and more “extraordinary.” This is what makes you sound arrogant. So, be casual and confident. Go into the interview knowing you are a good fit for the job and will be able to make a big difference. Don’t be humble. Don’t be arrogant. Be confident.

Rule 7: Make sure you know all the facts.

Be sure you know the expectations, pay rate, working conditions, benefits, and any specific details of the job; confirm your understanding of the details of the position during your interview. This not only ensures you are well informed so you can make a good decision about accepting or not accepting the job, but it also shows the interviewer that you have done your homework to understand the company and are ensuring your understanding is accurate and complete. This shows focus, conscientiousness and commitment – all attributes needed in any position.

Rule 8: Look for common ground.

There are studies out that support that we connect best to people who share similar interests or attributes with us. As you approach your interview, notice pictures, objects, awards and other things that first give you information about the interviewer, but also help you see areas about which you both can connect. If you both have coached soccer, lived in a section of a city, drive a certain car, etc…you have some commonality. This makes the interview more personal and more comfortable for both.

ule 9: Remember the power of body language. Your communication message comes through in three elements:

Rule 9: Remember the power of body language. Your communication message comes through in three elements:

1. Verbal – what you say (the words you choose).
2. Vocal – how you say what you say (inflection, volume, intonation).
3. Visual – what you look like (body language).

Okay, here is what is really important. Your message comes through each of these elements in different percentages (which means some of the elements of communication are more important than others). Only 7% of your message comes through in your verbal (words), 38% comes through in your vocal (intonation) and 55% comes through in your visual (body language). That means what you look like, your facial expressions, how you sit, how you shake hands all convey more of your real message than what you say and how you say it. This is because what you really feel is conveyed to your 53 facial muscles without any “editing.”

When it comes to the words we choose and the way we say things, we can edit and control our delivery. So watch your body language. If the interviewer describes a the hours of the job and you hate working second shift, you may say “fine” but your face will convey that hours are not fine. You may actually roll your eyes or shake your head as you say fine. The interviewer believes your body language more than your spoken language.

The same works in the reverse. When your body language is excited, interested and engaged, it creates a greater impression than just if your language and tone is upbeat and positive. So get excited about your interview – it will show.

Rule 10: Have fun.

Now not many people think that interviews are fun but think for a minute about how differently you feel and act when you are stressed and when you are having fun. Which showcases the better you? Then shouldn’t you look to find a way to be relaxed, be casual, be conversation and be human? And when you act this way, you will find the interviewer (if they weren’t wise enough to act this way from the start) will join you. And for fun I mean be focused but casual. Ask questions about how the workplace has a good time. Ask questions about what the interviewer does for fun when he/she is not working. Share what hobbies you have because your hobbies show your passions. Not only does this give the interviewer more information about you (and good information), but when you talk about the things you love to do, you get more energized, more relaxed and more confident. These are the attributes they need to see in the interview. Warning – stay away from sharing jokes unless you are great at it. Most jokes backfire. But fun isn’t always about jokes.

Remember – be sincere, honest and human. Show what you are great at. Be confident in your abilities. Speak from the heart. Find out the facts. Be sure you fit for them and they fit for you. Then, once hired, blow them away with your great performance. Good luck. Be great.

The 15 secrets to a happy marriage

Fri, Jul 16 05:15 PM

London, July 16 (ANI): An author has fished out decades of scientific research to identify the secrets of a happy married life.

According to The Telegraph, Anneli Rufus, a journalist and author, has now delved into the archive of studies dedicated to the subject to compile a list of 15 warning signs that someone is heading for a divorce.
And one can guarantee marital bliss if you take care of these signs.
Here are Rufus' 15 signs that you are headed towards divorce:
1. If you're a woman who got married before the age of eighteen, your marriage faces a 48 per cent likelihood of divorce within ten years.
2. If you're a woman who wants a child much more strongly than your spouse does, it's twice as likely that your marriage is nearing an end.
3. If you have two sons, you face a 36.9 per cent likelihood of divorce, but if you have two daughters, the likelihood rises to 43.1 per cent.
4. If you're a man with high basal testosterone, you're 43 per cent more likely to get divorced than men with low testosterone levels.
5. If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, you are 22.7 per cent more likely to divorce before that child turns eight years old than parents of a child without ADHD.
6. If you are currently married but have cohabited with a lover other than your current spouse, you are slightly more than twice as likely to divorce than someone who has never cohabited.
7. If you didn't smile for photographs early in life, your marriage is more likely to end in divorce than if you smiled intensely in early photographs.
8. If your child has died after the twentieth week of pregnancy, during labour, or soon after labour, you are 40 per cent more likely to divorce than if you had not lost a child.
9. If you're a woman who has recently been diagnosed with cancer or multiple sclerosis, your marriage is six times more likely to end in divorce than if your husband had been diagnosed with those diseases instead.
10. If you're a Caucasian woman and you're separated from your spouse, there's a 98 per cent chance that you'll be divorced within six years of that separation. If you're a Hispanic woman, the likelihood is 80 percent. If you're an African-American woman, the likelihood is 72 per cent.
11. If you're a dancer or choreographer, you face a 43.05 per cent likelihood of divorce, compared with mathematicians, who face 19.15 per cent likelihood, and animal trainers, who face 22.5 per cent likelihood.
12. If you're a farmer, you face only a 7.63 per cent likelihood of divorce, joined by other low-risk occupations such as nuclear engineers, who face a 7.29 per cent likelihood, and optometrists, who face a mere 4.01 per cent likelihood.
13. If either you or your spouse has suffered a brain injury, your marriage faces a 17 per cent chance of ending in divorce.
14. If you're an African-American woman, your first marriage has a 47 per cent likelihood of ending in divorce within ten years; for Hispanic women, the likelihood is 34 per cent; for Caucasian women, it's 32 per cent; for Asian women, it's 20 per cent.
15. If you're a woman serving actively in the military, your marriage is 250 per cent more likely to end in divorce than that of a man serving actively in the military. (ANI)

Forget the food fads and 'Take 10' small steps to weight loss success - that's the message from dietitians to the thousands who will make weight loss their goal this year.

"Fad and quick-fix weight loss programs often promise easy, no-effort weight loss. The reality is these programs can set people up to fail and damage their self-esteem in the process," said Claire Hewat, CEO of Dieticians Association of Australia (DAA).

Clare Collins, associate professor of dietics, said: "A range of approaches can help you lose weight in the short term, but making small, permanent changes that fit with your lifestyle will give you the best chance of keeping weight off in the long term."

Collins 'Take 10' tips for achieving or maintaining a healthy weight are:

1. Eat breakfast

2. Include vegetables or salad with lunch and dinner

3. Choose fruit as a snack

4. Replace full-fat food and drinks with reduced-fat alternatives

5. Choose wholegrain foods instead of more refined foods

6. Eat smaller serving sizes by using smaller plates and cups

7. Eat slowly and stop when you are satisfied, not stuffed full

8. Eat when you genuinely feel hungry, rather than for emotional or other reasons

9. Swap sweetened drinks such as cordial, soft drink and juice with water

10. Eat your evening meals at a dinner table with the TV turned off.

The DAA commissioned research was conducted by Newspoll market research nationally among 1,201 respondents aged 18 years and over. Interviews were conducted by telephone Nov 14-16, 2008, says a DAA release.

It found that 45.5 percent people had actively tried to lose weight during the 12 months prior to the survey, with 21.8 per cent of these people following a diet from a book or magazine and 16.4 per cent seeking advice from a dietitian.