7 Reasons to Drink Green Tea

The steady stream of good news about green tea is getting so hard to ignore that even java junkies are beginning to sip mugs of the deceptively delicate brew. You'd think the daily dose of disease-fighting, inflammation-squelching antioxidants - long linked with heart protection - would be enough incentive, but wait, there's more! Lots more.

CUT YOUR CANCER RISK

Several polyphenols - the potent antioxidants green tea's famous for - seem to help keep cancer cells from gaining a foothold in the body, by discouraging their growth and then squelching the creation of new blood vessels that tumors need to thrive. Study after study has found that people who regularly drink green tea reduce their risk of breast, stomach, esophagus, colon, and/or prostate cancer.

SOOTHE YOUR SKIN

Got a cut, scrape, or bite, and a little leftover green tea? Soak a cotton pad in it. The tea is a natural antiseptic that relieves itching and swelling. Try it on inflamed breakouts and blemishes, sunburns, even puffy eyelids. And that's not all. In the lab, green tea helps block sun-triggered skin cancer, whether you drink it or apply it directly to the skin - which is why you're seeing green tea in more and more sunscreens and moisturizers.

STEADY YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

Having healthy blood pressure - meaning below 120/80 - is one thing. Keeping it that way is quite another. But people who sip just half a cup a day are almost 50 percent less likely to wind up with hypertension than non-drinkers. Credit goes to the polyphenols again (especially one known as ECGC). They help keep blood vessels from contracting and raising blood pressure.

PROTECT YOUR MEMORY, OR YOUR MOM'S

Green tea may also keep the brain from turning fuzzy. Getting-up-there adults who drink at least two cups a day are half as likely to develop cognitive problems as those who drink less. Why? It appears that the tea's big dose of antioxidants fights the free-radical damage to brain nerves seen in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

STAY YOUNG

The younger and healthier your arteries are, the younger and healthier you are. So fight plaque build-up in your blood vessels, which ups the risk of heart disease and stroke, adds years to your biological age (or RealAge), and saps your energy too. How much green tea does this vital job take? About 10 ounces a day, which also deters your body from absorbing artery-clogging fat and cholesterol.

LOSE WEIGHT (I love this part!)

Oh yeah, one more thing. Turns out that green tea speeds up your body's calorie-burning process. In the every-little-bit-counts department, this is good news!

3 simple tips for losing weight

1.Go to sleep.

Getting enough sleep every night keeps you thin. Why? When your body doesn't get the 7 to 8 hours it needs every night, it doesn't get a full resupply of serotonin and dopamine, two feel-good brain chemicals it craves. So it looks for ways to replenish them, and guess what immediately releases both in the body: sugary foods. That's why when you're tired, you start craving sweets! So tuck yourself in early and stay slim.

2. Keep your hands full.

You'd think that sitting around playing video games, solitaire, or surfing around Yahoo! would be an invitation to putting on pounds. Nope. When your fingers are flying, they're not knuckle-deep in a bowl of chips. Now that's not to say that endless hours on your duff are good for anybody's waistline, but when you keep your hands and brain occupied, you're not reaching automatically for something to eat. In fact, you're probably not even thinking about food. So the next time you start to open the fridge door, turn on the computer, or pick up your knitting, instead.

3. Pick and stick.

Yeah, sure, variety may be the spice of life. But it can also be the death of dieting. When you have a lot of choices for a meal, it's a lot easier to slip out of good eating habits and into buffet binges. One way to avoid trouble is to eliminate choices for at least one meal a day. Pick the meal you rush through most and automate it. For most people, that's lunch. Find a healthy lunch - maybe salad with grilled chicken or a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread - and have it for lunch every day. Every day. Yes, every day. The less you think about food, the easier it is to control you appetite. And decreasing choices decreases temptations.

All three tips are from two weight-loss experts: RealAge superdocs Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, authors of the huge bestseller, YOU: On a Diet.

Tips for beautiful and sexy lips

Your smile can make a big difference in your appearance. A pleasant disposition with a pleasing continence can make up for any number of beauty flaws. But you mustn't stop there. A big smile can make you look positively beautiful.

Your smile has two components: teeth and lips. The biggest improvement you can make to your appearance is making sure your teeth are white. This has never been easier than it is today. Tooth color is genetic. Some people are just born with yellow tinted teeth. By avoiding certain foods and beverages, such as coffee, red wine, and tea, you can keep teeth whiter. Any foods that stain your clothes will stain your teeth. If your teeth have become discolored, you will be surprised at the results of teeth whitening. The procedure can be undertaken at home or at your dentist's office. The home products are reasonably priced, but require some discipline for about three weeks to apply the whitener, to avoid eating after it is on, and to remove it in the morning. Dentists can perform various teeth whitening procedures that usually cost about $500 and are not covered by insurance, but produce quick results in a visit or two.
Lips should look inviting and kissable. Take good care of them by making sure there is no dead skin on them, and regularly maintain them with vitamin E or balm to make them look polished and soft.

Matte lipstick is strong on color without shine but can be drying and look dull. If you like the matte look, get a good expensive lipstick. This is one time where cheap isn't better.

Crème – nice color without shininess and more moisturizing than matte

Glossy – the least drying

Lip shape tricks:

Lips too full? Avoid strong colors or you'll look like Ronald McDonald. Tone down the color with soft sheer hues and no lip liner. Also, play up your eyes to draw away from or balance out your full lips.

Lips too thin? Strong colors will just emphasize their thinness. Instead, use light, sheer colors. Never use lip liner outside the natural lip line to try and fake bigger lips. You'll just end up looking like a clown.

Crooked lips? Gently use your lip liner to even them out.

Lip color depends on your skin tone as well as your clothing colors:

Best lip colors for fair skin: pales
Best lip colors for medium skin: deeper colors
Best lip colors for olive and yellow skin: browns and plums
Best lip colors for dark skin: dark red, beiges and berry colors

Drink soup and lose weight

Soup is a good source of fluids and is considered as low energy density food, which can help with lose weight.

Just a cup can sneak more antioxidant - packed vegetables into your diet. It also can go long way toward filling you up and reducing your calorie intake during a meal. For best result, stick to broth - based varieties and watch the sodium. Recommended range is from 400 to 500 miligrams of sodium per cup.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

.................You're My Inspiration..........................