Global 2012: 7 Bedtime Habits that Are Ruining Your Sleep

The delightful Eko alarm clock - it's only 4ins high. Free to use - just credit Alan Cleaver. See more free stock pictures in my Freestock set (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Going from Night Owl to Early Bird

Who says bedtime is just for kids? Take extra care to maintain your sleep schedule, especially on the weekends. The body responds to routine. If your bedtime is sporadic- 11 pm some nights, 1 a.m. others- your mind won't be properly prepared to snooze on the weekdays.

2. Bringing Books to Bed

Reading before bed is a habit for many. Problem is, your body has likely adapted to that routine-it won't go to sleep until you've logged a couple chapters. Retreat to a comfy couch or window nook instead for your literary fix. The bed should be off limits for anything other than sleep or sex.

3.Facebooking Into the Wee Hours

The brightness of your computer screen stimulates the brain. Plus, it's difficult for your mind to stop fretting about your digital to-do list, even once you've logged off. Avoid late-night surfing and shut down your computer. Give yourself time to wind down without any electronics.

4. Skimping on a Good Bed

A good mattress will cost you anywhere from $500 to over $3,000. Consider it money well spent. A decent mattress-do your homework!-will give you a more restful sleep. The same is true for quality bedding and pillows. Opt for a soft pillow if you're a back or stomach sleeper. Buy a firmer pillow if you sleep on your side.

5. Setting a Bright Alarm Clock

The looming glare of your alarm clock can be distracting when trying to sleep. The goal is to have as dark a room as possible. Block the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cell phone alarm may also do the trick.

6. Counting Sheep

When you just can't fall asleep, it's useless to stay in bed. If you've been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests doing something mundane, like balancing a checkbook, reading or watching TV. An activity that demands marginal brainpower will lull your mind. Before you know it, you'll be crawling back into bed genuinely tired.

7. Exercising Late at Night

Daytime workouts will keep you invigorated for hours. That's why you don't want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Intense physical activity raises your body temperature and pumps your energy level-both interrupt a calm transition into sleep.

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/7-bedtime-habits-ruining-sleep-145300969.html

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• Trying to Snooze My Way Through the Night (thelifeofjwo.com)
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Global 2012: Can two bedrooms make one happy marriage?

English: A Sleeping moon in a cap. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s now officially a substantial trend: a study by the National Sleep Foundation found that 25 percent of couples sleep in separate rooms. That’s one in four couples! Many who choose to sleep separately are reluctant to discuss it, but for most people, the decision to sleep in separate beds is a practical decision. It seems that sleep is elusive when you bed down with a partner who snores, tosses relentlessly, traipses to the restroom repeatedly, hogs the covers or is drenched in sweat each night.

One partner often retreats to a guest room, kid’s bed or the family room sofa while hoping that people won’t assume the worst about their relationship. By 2015, The National Association of Home Builders says that it expects 60 percent of custom-built homes to include dual master bedrooms for this exact reason. “It’s important for couples facing these issues to try their best to avoid being influenced by negative social stigma and [others’] judgment around sleeping apart and be as creative and innovative in finding solutions that work for them,” says Manhattan psychologist Dr. Joseph Cilona. And while sleeping in separate beds may solve some issues, it’s not always a perfect solution. Sleeping separately may mean you’re both getting better rest, but will it chip away at the romance or take a toll on overall intimacy? Some folks think that sleeping apart robs a marriage of its special connection.

Here’s how couples can combat living as roomies and keep close, cozy and connected even if they sleep in different beds:

1. Stay touchy-feely with each other. Even when couples don’t hold each other all night long, a lot of touching goes on while you’re falling asleep. Touch enhances the sense of intimacy and it also has a measurable biological effect: it stimulates the production of oxytocin, the hormone that deepens human bonding.

2. Engage in pillow talk. You may have lots of focused conversations about your kids, the car, work and the dog, but there’s also intimacy in the kind of pillow talk couples engage in as they relax before falling asleep. Good marriages thrive on these private, unplanned conversations that may vanish when you start sleeping separately.

3. Plan your romps between the sheets together. If you’re not snoozing together, you might end up having less sex. But psychologists say that many couples’ sex lives are enhanced by sleeping in separate rooms — in fact, it can even lead to greater desire for a partner or more frequent sexual encounters.

4. Find other ways to sustain your emotional connection. It’s easy for any couple to get caught up in the daily grind and take each other for granted. If you’re not sharing a bed nightly, it may be even easier to miss each other’s cues for connecting emotionally.

http://yahoo.match.com/cp.aspx?cpp=/cppp/yahoo/article.html&articleid=12529&TrackingID=526103&BannerID=1364544

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• Make your space sleep-ready (time4sleep.co.uk)
• Separate beds? They're not just for after an argument (storagebedsdirect.co.uk)
• The Three Bed Solution (scarymommy.com)
• Poor Sleep May Age Your Brain (news.yahoo.com)
• Separate Bedrooms Good For Marriage? (wycd.cbslocal.com)

Manila 2012: Iza dating non-showbiz guy

My OWN work: Iza Calzado Digital Photomanipulation using Photoshop CS3, .jpg format, created and submitted to http://www.deviantart.com on the same day: May 14, 2011. also being utilized for Iza Calzado's Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/izacalzado (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Iza Calzado has a new inspiration -- a non-showbiz guy whose name and background she did not divulge.

“I’m dating someone,” she admitted at the press launch of Myra-E’s Holistic Skin Care campaign in White Space, Makati on Thursday, June 8 (Iza endorses the beauty product).

Iza added that one should always find time for  love despite a busy schedule.

“Kami (ni Eula Valdes), laging may time. Kahit lima pa ang pelikula mo at may play pa, masisingitan ng love life. Love makes the world go round,” Iza joked.

Does she prefer non-showbiz guys to actors?

“Wala din namang gustong magpadala sa set ko ng bulaklak, so okay lang. Wala namang nanliligaw na taga-showbiz. Walang lumapit,” Iza replied, tongue-in-cheek.

Even if she’s pushing 30 this year, Iza is proud of her age.

“I’m turning 30 this year and I wouldn’t trade this from being 20. Sobrang nae-excite ako kasi I feel so better about myself and I feel na I’m in a better place in most aspects of my life. But beyond that I’ve also been blessed with experiences and people that help me become better person.”

She has learned to accept herself and embrace my 'flaws'.

“Marami naman nakakaalam na I used to be big. It’s been really a struggle for me to embrace my flaws and everything,” Iza said.

http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/news/angelica-breaks-her-silence-on-john-lloyd.html

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Global 2011: 9 Tips to Make a Date Better in the First Ten Minutes

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The first ten minutes of a date often determine whether a second date is ever going to happen, and let’s face it—second dates are not the norm for many. That was definitely my story until I learned about (what I now call) “Date Waste.”

Date waste is when a date is a drag, but has little to do with whether you are a potential match. It’s a drag simply because neither of you set the date up to succeed. These aren’t the dates with jerks that you can’t wait to end. They are the ones that are just a little boring, lack sparks, or just go nowhere. You can turn these into very positive experiences.

I see date waste all the time when I’m coaching, and I lived it for years. When I accepted that every date was part of the journey and not just a means to an end, my life changed. Every date is an opportunity. You can talk to a nice person, learn something new, get much-needed practice and maybe connect with someone you want to know just a little better. It doesn’t have to be, “Oh, he’s The One!” or nothing.

Here are nine things you can do in the first ten minutes of each date to make it a positive experience and begin to eliminate date waste from your life.

1. Go in with the “I hope I like him” attitude.
2. Find three things you like about him.
3. Compliment him.
4. Think of it as practice.
5. Dump your agenda.
6. Ask the right questions.
7. Quiet those dang gremlins.
8. Let go of control.
9. Be kind and practice empathy.

Then look at him again with the kind and wise eyes of a woman working hard to find a good man. Regardless of how you end up judging him, always leave him feeling good about himself—even if you’re not going to see him again. It’s the nice thing to do, and you’ll help prop him up for the next woman who’s going to meet him.

You are looking for a lifetime partner with whom you can share deep connection, unconditional trust, mutual adoration, and a lifetime of happiness. Everything you do should be toward that end. Every date is a spectacular opportunity. Don’t be a date waster.

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22069/116999-nine-tips-make-date-better

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Global 2011: 11 Things We’d Rather Have Than Sex

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A recent study by Women at NBCUniversal raised eyebrows when it reported that the women surveyed placed the Internet, sleep, and showers higher than sex on a list of things they couldn’t live without for a month. (Men, unsurprisingly, chose sex behind the Internet and sleep. At least the sexes can agree on the first two.)

It turns out what we’re passionate about is not always passion. And when push comes to shove, we’d rather go celibate than without some creature comforts. I canvassed my friends to see what they’d rather have than carnal knowledge. From a glass of cold milk to The Real Housewives of New Jersey, some of their answers made me laugh and others made me reconsider my own priorities. (I don’t want, I need Chapstick.)

As a single gal who prefers “relations” within the context of a “relation”-ship, I’ve gone without sex for months and even years. But before you light a candle for me, remember that during those dry spells, I still had access to all of the following human necessities:

• Junk food.
• TV.
• Air-conditioning.
• Coffee.
• A good book.
• Wine.
• Friends.
• Blackberry or iPhone.
• Shopping.
• Family.
• Pets.

Facebook? Magazines? Yoga? If you had to go without for a month, what would you choose over sex?

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22079/117197-eleven-things-we-d-rather-sex?ordersrc=yash0829outleti

Global 2011: How Young Is Too Young For Birth Control?

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Apparently, more and more teen girls are popping pills -- birth control pills, that is.

A Thomson Reuters study released this past March reported that 18 percent of girls ages 13 to 18 were on some form of oral contraceptive in 2009. These figures represent a 50 percent increase in birth control prescriptions since 2002 -- a mere seven years earlier.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/how-young-is-too-young-for-birth-control-2513849/;_ylt=Aig.rvUh5EIKIXtZmhFIMA1qbqU5

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Global 2011: Men’s grooming habits that turn women off

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See the top ten offenses below.

1. Long, dirty toe nails.
2. Hair where it shouldn't be.
3. Mouth madness.
4. Unattractive smells.
5. Eyebrow issues.
6. Too much cologne.
7. Too much waxing.
8. Dry, cracked heels.
9. Hair that never moves.
10. Letting your blackheads live on.

http://shine.yahoo.com/the-thread/men-grooming-habits-turn-women-off-185222742.html

Global 2011: The Top 5 Killers of Men

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It was a sunny September day in the Pacific Northwest, and Jeff Hale had just closed a $1.5 million deal. To celebrate, he was taking the afternoon off, relaxing on his patio lounge, and playing ball with his dog. That's when he began feeling compression high in his chest, some pain in his left shoulder, and an unsettling sense of dread. At 44, he was in relatively good shape, although 15 pounds overweight and under a lot of stress from work. At first, he thought it was an asthma attack and took a hit off his inhaler. But when that didn't help, he remembered an article he’d read in Men's Health.

• STROKE
• CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE
• ACCIDENTS
• CANCER
• HEART DISEASE

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/menshealth/top-5-killers-of-men

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Global 2011: What happens to your body after you drink a soda every day, for a long time

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Sugar rushes and caffeine highs followed by a depressing energy crash are what happens to your body if you drink a soda right now, but plenty of Blisstree readers actually seem to be okay with that. Some of you think it’s alarmist to compare a caffeine and sugar rush to doing drugs, and some just don’t really care about the slump they’ll find themselves in after drinking 39 grams of sugar, but what makes us really worried about a soda-slurping habit is what happens over the long term.

Here’s a quick snapshot of you, in a few years, after drinking soda on a regular basis:

1. You’ll Be Fatter
2. You’ll Probably Have Diabetes
3. You’re Much More Likely to Develop Heart Disease
4. You’re Probably Also Less Healthy In Other Ways

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/what-happens-to-your-body-after-you-drink-a-soda-every-day-for-a-long-time-2494154/

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Global 2011: Sex on the 1st date

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Every few years it feels like someone tries to make the case that sleeping together on a first date is a great plan. It seems like it should be, right? You have physical chemistry, all the hot "newness" and everything that entails, so why not? We also all know the friend who DID sleep with her man on their first date, and now they're happily married with three kids and a blissful sex life that is both loving and hot.

Personally, sleeping together on a first date would make me wonder how many other girls he had done that with. While it does (and can) happen, those who practice it often don't end up with the person they boinked on the first date. Is that because of the sex? Hard to say. But the more times you sleep with someone the first time, the more people you have slept with overall in your life.

Besides, isn't sex just better when you know the person? Sure, we all get lustful and lord knows I made some mistakes back in college along those lines, but it's also important that we don't put ourselves into positions we didn't want to be in. This is equal opportunity! It's not just that he won't respect us, but also that we might not respect him.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/sex/sex-on-the-1st-date-still-isnt-respectable-in-2011-2499395/;_ylt=AjnOjhK7vq7CYSXbJB9KiRIIb6U5

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Global 2011: Eat This for Gorgeous Skin

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The best get-flawless-skin regimen? It's not a trendy spa treatment. It's a way of eating. Yeah, yeah, we know that for years, experts said greasy foods and chocolate don't cause pimples and that, overall, what you eat has no effect on your skin. But research proves otherwise. So follow these four rules on how to feed your face.

1. Lay Off the White Stuff
2. Savor Seafood
3. Banish Blush Triggers
4. Indulge in Olive Oil

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/vitality/eat-this-for-gorgeous-skin-2454120/

Global 2011: 3 Reasons to Hit the Snooze Button

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In an ideal world, SNOOZE buttons and even alarm clocks wouldn't exist: We'd all sleep seven to eight hours a night—the amount experts recommend getting to prevent serious health concerns such as diabetes, hypertension and more—and wake up feeling naturally refreshed and alert. The reality: Many of us fall short on sack time (nearly 60 percent of SELF readers reported logging less than seven to eight hours a night in a recent survey, and 15 percent said they got by on a measly six hours or less), so chances are, we feel groggy and confused and we crave more shut-eye when the alarm starts blaring.

On the flip side, bingeing on sleep to catch up on missed zzz's can throw off your circadian rhythm, your body's 24-hour clock that plays a role in sleep and wakefulness, says Amy Wolfson, Ph.D., author of The Woman's Book of Sleep. Sleeping in—and hitting the hay that night later than usual as a result—also makes it hard to readjust to your usual routine, so you start the next morning in a fog.

So is it ever a good idea to ignore your alarm clock? Experts say yes! (And I say, Phew!) Here are three times you have the green light to hit SNOOZE:

1. You've racked up serious sleep debt
2. Your schedule looks brutal
3. You're run down and choosing between sleep and exercise

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/healthieryou/3-reasons-hit-snooze-button

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Global 2011: 5 secrets women shouldn't keep from their doctors

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Let's be honest—when it comes to confessing your most personal issues to doctors, it's tempting to fudge the details, whether it's those diet pills you borrowed from a friend or that fling you had with a neighbor.

1. "Those pills you prescribed? I haven't been taking them."
2. "I'm doing a cleanse to lose 10 pounds."
3. "My sexual past isn't what it seems."
4. "My family's health history is not so perfect."
5. "I'm cheating on you."

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/vitality/5-secrets-women-shouldnt-keep-from-their-doctors-2456992/

Global 2011: 6 Ways to Protect Yourself Against Alzheimer's and Dementia

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We all want to dodge the Alzheimer's bullet. And lucky us, Mother Nature has counterbalanced the power of our hard-wired genes by allowing multiple lifestyle choices to greatly influence our aging. Read: Your destiny is not fated; you do have some control. Yes, genes are powerful forces, but they "are not even the dominant factor" for the vast majority of people, says Paul Thompson, professor of neurology at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine. Here are some actionable factors that can help your brain stay healthy over the long term.

1. Physical activity

2. Weight control

3. Mental challenges

4. Social connections

5. Healthy diet

6. Chronic disease control

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/alzheimers/6-ways-protect-yourself-against-alzheimers-and-dementia

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Global 2010: 11 mistakes women make in middle age

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Let’s not kid ourselves. Getting older is a drag, and middle age is particularly fraught with tension.

Do the sexy clothes you wore in the past now seem just plain wrong? Will smoky eye makeup that looks great on 19-year-olds make you appear just plain crazy?

Part of the problem is that aging often requires change, but most women don’t want to move to a frumpy town called Middle Age, where sensible shoes and boring clothes are de rigueur.

Here are the 11 most common mistakes aging women make—and how to avoid them.

• Not realizing you need to change
• Not spending enough on your clothes
• Comparing yourself to you in your 20s
• Skipping exercise
• Not getting enough sleep
• Ignoring your teeth
• Overdoing anti-aging efforts
• Thinking there are hair “rules”
• Using the wrong makeup
• Settling for a boring sex life
• Wearing the wrong bra

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/vitality/11-mistakes-women-make-in-middle-age-2432402/

Global 2010: 6 cancer-fighting superfoods

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To reduce your risk of cancer, look no further than your fridge. "All the studies on cancer and nutrition point to eating plant-based foods for their phytonutrients and other special compounds," says Richard Béliveau, PhD, chair in the prevention and treatment of cancer at the University of Québec at Montreal and author of Foods to Fight Cancer.

Aim for five to nine daily servings of all kinds of fruits and vegetables—especially these six superstars.

Broccoli

Helps fight: breast, liver, lung, prostate, skin, stomach, and bladder cancers

Your Rx: The more broccoli, the better, research suggests—so add it wherever you can, from salads to omelets to the top of your pizza.


Berries

Helps fight: colon, esophageal, oral, and skin cancers

Your Rx: Stoner uses a concentrated berry powder in his studies but says a half-cup serving of berries a day may help your health, too.


Tomatoes

Helps fight: endometrial, lung, prostate, and stomach cancers

Your Rx: The biggest benefits come from cooked tomatoes (think pasta sauce!), since the heating process increases the amount of lycopene your body is able to absorb.


Walnuts

Helps fight: breast and prostate cancers

Your Rx: Munching on an ounce of walnuts a day may yield the best benefits, Hardman's research found.


Garlic

Helps fight: breast, colon, esophageal, and stomach cancers

Your Rx: Chop a clove of fresh, crushed garlic (crushing helps release beneficial enzymes), and sprinkle it into that lycopene-rich tomato sauce while it simmers.


Beans

Helps fight: breast and colon cancers

Your Rx: Add a serving—a half-cup—of legumes a few times a week (either from a can or dry beans that've been soaked and cooked) to your usual rotation of greens or other veggies.

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/vitality/6-cancer-fighting-superfoods-2428408/

Global 2010: Tools to melt the pounds off

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
With a master’s degree in nutrition, focused in weight management, I know what you need to do to lose weight: Pay attention to portions. Plan healthy meals and snacks. Write down what you eat. Exercise. Effective, yes. But also booooooring. I’ll admit it. So why not just do the latest diet fad, the one that promises faster weight loss with less effort? Answer: The pounds will come creeping right back. The better solution is to embrace those arguably “tedious” diet rules and make them more fun and inspiring—and with cool, new tools.

Here’s what I mean:

Diet rule #1: Set goals.

Diet rule #2: Plan your meals.

Diet rule #3: Keep track.

Diet rule #4: Keep an eye on size.

Diet rule #5: Move more.

Diet rule #6: Get support.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/supercool-tools-to-melt-the-pounds-off-2432326/

Global 2010: Truth About Your Weight Gain

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Two out of three people in America today are either overweight or obese. That means every time you sit down in an airplane or a packed movie theater, more likely than not you’re going to wind up as the lean center of a fat sandwich. But as you look right and left and see nothing but heft, you can’t help but think, What happened?

How did we all get so darn fat?

Well, the simple answer is that we eat more calories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that American men eat 7 percent more calories than they did in 1971; American women eat a whopping 18 percent more—an additional 335 calories a day! But the harder question is this: Why do we eat so many more calories? Are we suddenly more gluttonous? Do we have some kind of collective death wish? Is the entire country hellbent on qualifying for the next season of Biggest Loser?

No. There’s an even crazier reason: It’s the food!

We’ve added extra calories to traditional foods, often in cheap, mass-produced vehicles like high fructose corn syrup. These new freak foods are designed not by chefs, but by lab technicians packing every morsel with maximum calories at minimum cost—with little or no regard to dietary impact. Indeed, Eat This, Not That! 2011 has uncovered the truth about some of your favorite fast food and grocery store items and how they're causing you to pack on unnecessary pounds. It’s enough to kill your appetite, which—in these cases, anyway—would be a good thing.

• THE FAST-FOOD HAMBURGER
• BETTY CROCKER'S BAC-O BITS
• PREMADE GUACAMOLE
• FRUIT ON THE BOTTOM YOGURT
• TURKEY BACON
• REDUCED-FAT PEANUT BUTTER

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-your-weight-gain

Global 2010: Best & Worst Food Trends of 2010

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Problem is, the biggest trend in American restaurants this year has been to make their meals more complicated than Kim Kardashian's love life. Over and over, food marketers have demonstrated that they can't leave well enough alone. From deep-frying pasta to turning simple salads into adventures in caloric chaos, I've broken down some of the most deeply disturbing turns in American food culture, circa 2010. And as the New Year emerges, you can find up-to-the-minute new developments in the food universe (and plenty of weight-loss secrets) when you follow me right here on Twitter.

It's not all bad news, though. A lot has changed to our food supply and policies since we first published Eat This, Not That! in late 2007. Some of these changes have made eating healthy foods easier than ever, while others (mentioned above) continue to put industry interests in front of our collective need to slim down. Here we've rounded up the best and worst food trends of 2010.

Worst Food Trend #5: Chips as Condiment

Worst Food Trend #4: Deep-Fried Pasta

Worst Food Trend #3: The 1,000-Calorie (Plus!) Salad

Worst Food Trend #2: Ice Cream for Breakfast

Worst Food Trend #1: Outrageous New Food Creations

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/best-worst-food-trends-2010

Global 2010: 4 tips for spicing up date night

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When love is new, it’s hard to imagine that it ever won’t be — that a time might come when the question, “What do you want to do tonight?” could be met with a stare of boredom. But the truth is that as electric as your relationship might be in those first initial months, you will inevitably become more comfortable with each other, which is a good thing. That comfortable feeling indicates that a couple has moved into the “attachment” phase of their relationship in which feelings of intimacy and safety deepen. But it’s also the time when couples can slide into thrill-dampening Friday night routines. Falling into the cycle of repetitive “date nights” that play out like old reruns is an easy trap to fall into as a couple. But recent research on how the brain changes when you’re in love suggests that adding novelty to your date nights helps keep both of you feeling the same excitement you did when you first fell for each other.

1. Variety, variety, variety

2. Take turns planning your date nights

3. Go out without a plan

4. Go where no man has been before…or at least, neither of you

http://yahoo.match.com/y/article.aspx?articleid=11810&TrackingID=526103&BannerID=709673

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