Another guide to a good nights rest I found from Cosmopolitan...
The secret to a good night's sleep? Start getting ready for bed during the day.
8 AM: Email Early
Instead of staying up late at night to answer emails and surf the net, get to work half an hour early an hop online. The light emanating from your computer screen at night can disrupt your body's ability to prepare for sleep.
11 AM: Worry
The London Sleep Centre suggests carving out 20 minutes of daily 'worry time' to stop your mind wandering at night. Do it during a morning coffee break and write things down to clear your head.
1 PM: Yoga
A study found insomniacs fell asleep faster when they did yoga for 45 minutes every day. Try to fit in a morning or lunchtime class if you can.
2 PM: Cap Coffee
Caffeine stimulates your brain activity, keeping you awake for longer plus, since it takes eight hours to leave your system, be sure to have your last latte at lunch time.
9 PM: Pass on the pepperoni
Avoid big meals and fatty foods at night as they can cause insomnia. It is also thought that tyrosine-laden foods, like cheddar cheese and pepperoni will agitate the brain and keep you awake.
10 PM: Drink water, not wine
A 'night cap' might help you get to sleep but., 'later on, you'll get an increase in 'dream sleep' meaning that you wake up more', explains Dr Renata Riha, author of Sleep: Your Questions Answered
Soure: Cosmopolitan by Sarah Reid
What a lick of icecream is really worth...
Theres nothing like wrapping your chops around an ice block on a hot day. Here are few fun ideas to make your almost-innocent treat disappear.
Streets Golden Gaytime
Burn it off with a one hour walk or 30 minutes of rollerskating
Streets Calippo
Burn it off with 30 minutes of brushing your hair or 15 minutes of waterskiing
Weis Raspberries and Cream bar
Burn it off with 15 minutes of skipping or 30 minutes of kayaking
Nestle Life Savers Five Flavours
Burn it off with 30 minutes of sex or 15 mintures of surfing
Streets Paddle Rainbow
Burn it off with 20 minutes of high-impact aerobics, or a 30 minute bike ride.
Streets Magnum Classic
Burn it off with 60 minutes of Tai Chi or 20 minutes of rollerblading
Streets Cornetto Vanilla Mint Choc
Burn it off with 30 minutes of jogging or one hour of table tennis.
*Note this is approximately the amount
Source: Cosmopolitan
Get a healthy glow without the orange streaks in five steps:
One: Exfoliate your face with a gentle scrub. Getting rid of dead skin will help the tan develop evenly without splotches.
Two: Dab Vaseline around your hairline and eyebrows to avoid staining these areas.
Three: Put a small amount of tanning lotion on your fingertips and apply to your face. Keep fingers together so the tan spreads evenly, but go lightly over your nose and chin crevices.
Four: Add a little extra tan to your cheecks so they turn slightly darker than the rest of your face, just like the real deal.
Five: Blend self tanner down onto your neck to avoid obvious mask effect.
Try to tan using L'Oreal sublime bronze self-tenning gel which is about $20. (-What the magazine recommended)
Tip: Use a self tan remover to remove any excess on your face or hands.
Source: Comopolitan, December 2003
How to get out of sticky situations with help from Patsy Rowe, author of "The Little Book of Etiquette (New Holland) and manners expert Anna Musson (goodmanners.com.au).
Awkward Situation 1
Asking someone when their baby is due when they, um aren't pregnant at all.
Recovery
Patsy: Hopefully, you wouldn't ever so indesceet as to ask this question without knowing for sure that they were pregnant, but, if you've made this blunder, you can only say, 'Really, I'm suprised. Your skin has that lovely glow that only pregnant women seem to get."
Anna: Start every appology with, 'I'm terribly sorry' and continue to explain to your victim that you are a baboon. The manification and sincerity of your appology will determine their response.
Awkward Situation 2
Bitching about your boss/good friend and getting caught
Recovery
Patsy: Whether its a close friend or your boss, honesty is the best policy here: 'I'm sorry you had to hear it this way, Adrienne, but we all know you're fooling around with Susan's fiance, and its about time you knew that we all know'.
Anna: Gauge the situation. If your target is likely to forgive you, make a joke of it. If they overheard you calling them overbearing and bossy, approach them in private and call them the name (e.g Hello Captain, I'm sorry for talking about you earlier. it was slack of me and I owe you an apology). If they're not likely to see the funnsy side, apologise in person with a gift. Remember that it's you who was in the wrong. They don't owe you forgiveness, so be humble until you receive it.
Awkward Situation 3
Ruining a suprise party.
Recovery
Patsy: Beg the person you've accidentally told to take pity on you and not let anyone else know you've let the secret slip!
Anna: You can turn the tense situation around and redeem yourself by making a joke of it. If you've ruined the suprise, think of another suprise for the evening - preferably not a stripper (it's best not to risk more offence!). If you're apologetic and gracious when they tease you about it incessantly throughout the night, you'll eventually be forgiven.
Awkward Situation 4
Getting caught having sex
Recovery
Patsy: Adjust your clothing, repair your lipstick, take a big breath, and act like it never happened. Let them decide what happens next. Hey, you've done enough!
Anna: Sit down with the person who 'discovered' you and appologise. If you were found at work say, 'I wanted to say sorry for what you saw earlier. We shouldn't have been doing that at work. It shouldn't happen again.' If you keep your job after that, you must be excellent at what you do! And, if it was your parents who found you, don't just leave it hanging. Apologise and they'll eventually get over the shock.
Awkward Situation 5
Offering to foot the bill at lunch, and then realising you have insufficient funds.
Recovery
Patsy: Choose someone in the group you know and trust. Tell them of your predicament and ask them if they'll pay (quietly of course), then reimbuse them.
Anna: This is embarrasing! Like Patsy says, ask someone you trust to bail you out. The rule is you must pay this person back the moment you have the money, otherwise you'll risk your integrity.
Awkward Situation 6
Having one too many drinks and making a total fool of yourself.
Recovery
Patsy: If you get drunk at a staff party and utterly disgrace yourself, I suggest you look for a new job, as people will forever remind you about how you got your gear off and danced on the photocopier.
Whitney Note: I think Patsy's advice would be more appropriate to refer to when your older and more mature.
Not so much importance for you when your young cause I know alot of you guys still do this :P
Anna: The morning after a night like this, take the time to think about how embarassed you feel and how your conduct has affected others, then take these two steps to rectify the matter.
1. Call your hosts. Be sure to acknowledge your poor behaviour and appologise. Ask how you can make it up to them, and if your 'show' was truly horrifying, send flowers. Immediately.
2. Ring anyone you may have insulted and sincerly appologise. For example 'Matt, I'm calling because, in my drinken haze last night, I believe I may have tried to kiss you seceral times. I want to say sorry for being so dreadful and to let you know it won't happen again'.
Awkward Situation 7
Gettin busted "chucking a sickie" by your boss.
Recovery
Patsy: Say how sorry you were to call in sick when you weren't, but you'd been short-tempered lately and making a lot of silly mistakes with your work. Tell them you knew you wouldn't be allowed to take time off and thought this would be the best way to get a day off to rejuvenate.
Anna: Time to fess up. Approach your boss the next day and explain yourself. Acknowledge that you weren't cooped up in the house on your death bed -eg 'I thought it was Murphy's Law yesterday when the moment I leave the house for food/doctor/mail, I ran into my boss! Did you think I was having a bludge?.' Hopefully, they'll say, 'I assumed you were on your way to the doctor', but if they saw you at the beach, there's little good manners can do for you.
Skin that doesnt require makeup...Want the secret recipe for perfect pores? Follow these five simple steps...
1. Clean
Get rid your skin of excess oil, dirt and makeup that clog and congest the skin by cleansing twice a day with a clearing formula.
2.Refine
Use a pore-specific product to remove those stubburn blackheads that commonly crop up around your nose.
3. Nourish
Smooth on a serum with hydrating benefits to achieve a brighter complexion and even out any less-than-tuat areas.
4. Hydrate
Slather on a lotion with high levels of antioxidants, as well as hydroxy acid component, to boost any dull spots as it hydrates.
5. Protect
Gently pat on a hydrating eye balm with the tips of your fingertips to ward off signs of fatigue and dehyration lines under your eyes. This area has no oil glands, so it needs an extra moisture boost each day.
Source: Cosmopolitan, December 2008
Everyone needs some time alone every now and then. Being alone doesn't mean your a loser and have no life, its just a time to unwind and relax and feel comfortable about being yourself and enjoying some freedom.
Things to do alone in certain time frames:
10 Mins...
Read a magazine article: Not as strenuous as a book. Choose something that will improve our mind or your relationships.
Do a quiz: Reveal something about yourself, your friends or your crush by putting yourself to the test.
Create a cool hairstyle: Need inspiration? Search up hairstyles online and check out whats in.
Paint your nails: Glossy perfection will lift your mood instantly.
Write a list: Make it about something important, like what you want to achieve for the year.
30 Mins...
Take a sweet-smelling bubble bath: put a few drops of lavender oil into warm bath and lock the bathroom door. Best time? when everyone else is out, of course!
Meditate: It doesn't have to be all hippie, just clear a space on your bedroom floor and in your head, and completly zone out to some calming tunes.
Go for a walk: This will also fulfil your daily excerside requirement and give you a chance to walk the family pet - if you have one.
Make a packet-mix cake: open the cardboard box, tip the contents into the bowl, add some extras and you're done. Relax while you're waiting for it to cook - and don't forget to set the timer!
Start a journal: Fill it with poems you like and secrets you'd never share - even with your bestie. Make your first entry full of juicy info.
1 Hour...
Read a book: Get a recommendation from a friend, read the latest book reviews for inspiration or choose a classic.
Write a story: Think of a great idea for a children's book and draw your own illustrations.
Paint a still life: The fruit bowl, mum's favourite vase, a favourite object etc. See how life-like you can make it.
Do some arts and crafts: Head to your local craft store and get creative. Personalise a photo frame
Make a mixed tape or CD: Download your favourite songs and make a CD for yourself or your friends.
A whole day...
Rearranging and decorating your room: Spice up your bedroom by adding posters, plants and maybe new furniture.
Write to a long-lost friend: Emails are too impersonal to make contact after all those yours. Pour your heart on to paper instead.
Be a tourist: Visit your local zoo or check out popular tourist attractions.
Go somewhere by yourself:
-See a movie or hang out at the beach; stuff you'd normally only do with friends. It's not as embarrasing as you might think.
-Possibly even take time to reminisce over the good memories you've shared at old hang out spots.
-Go exploring and find a peaceful secret place that you can relax and just enjoy the moment at.
Do nothing at all: Don't plan anything! :P
By Jessica Parry and edited by Whitney Ha.
Having trouble sleeping?
Try these techniques.
-Soak up sun rays. A little bit of sun each day will keep your body clock on track - just remember to use sun protection!
-Chill out. Try to unwind before you go to bed by listening to some mellow tunes (try John Mayer) with the lights down low. If your mind's still buzzing when you hit the sack, you'll have planned a months worth of party outfits before you're even close to dozing off.
(hahaha been there and done that!)
- Rest in peace. Watching TV and even reading in bed can seriously mess with your sleep patterns. These activities stimulate your brain and trick it into thinking it's party time. It's better to watch your fave TV shows in the living room, so your bedroom remains a total sleep sanctuary.
You should be aiming for between eight and a half to nine and a quarter hours of sleep a night. If you're not getting this and the above tips don't work, visit the Australasian Sleep Association website at www.sleepaus.on.net for more info.
Source: Dolly, Febuary 2004
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