Read this if you want to sleep better at night

Studies show that very bright light - the equivalent to outdoor early morning light - will increase brain activity. Some scientists believe that the light emitted by a computer monitor late at night can do just that and therefore confuse your body's sleep-wake cycle- particularly when combined with the stimulation of an engaging video game.

You are better to wind down before bed by watching tv( at least 15 feet away to be unaffected by its brightness) or even better to read a book or magazine.

(Prevention magazine June '07)

This May come in handy someday

What would you do if someone next to you collapsed. You would call an ambulance for sure.

Apparently even doing rudmentary CPR- i.e. doing chest compressions but no mouth-to-mouth- can save an adult's life.
Place hands on chest. Press hard at a rate of 100 times a minute ( the pace of the Bee Gees' "Staying' Alive")

To Strengthen your bones-eat dried figs

A quarter cup of dried figs has nearly twice the calcium as the same amount of low-fat cottage cheese.

Also dried figs pack antioxidants and heart-protective omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids into their punch.

Add figs to your morning yogurt or roast them with chicken.

(Chatelaine magazine, August 2008)

2 MINUTE LOWER BODY WORKOUT

Tracing the alphabet in the air with your foot targets your thighs, hip flexors and lower abs.

Sit on a chair, hands on the seat, feet flat on the floor. Lift and extend right leg parallel to the floor. Point toes and trace all letters of the alphabet as large as you can in the air with your toes. Switch legs and repeat.

Get out of a slump

To stand up tall, bend your left arm behind your waist and GRAB YOUR RIGHT ARM AT THE ELBOW.

This simple move pulls your shoulders back and down ( where they belong). Hold for about 10 seconds and then switch arms.

Do this 2 or 3 times throughout your walk.

Brain Food

For speedier afternoon thinking, which snack would you choose - a slice of watermelon or a chunk of cheese.

Reach for the watermelon - People who eat foods that are high in healthy carbs but low in fats (watermelon and other fruits being juicy examples) seem to have faster brain processing speeds than people whose diets are low in carbs but high in fats.

Carbohydrates are a critical source of the type of energy that brains need to perform. Fat on the other hand seems to gum up your mind.

If there is no fruit to be found, then try turning on all your office lights or even better, go outdoors and get a dose of natural light. Light directly affects areas of your brain that are involved in alertness.

It is ok to snack before meals- it won't spoil your appetite

You can nibble on fatty foods before you eat, but it must be the good kind of fat. Eating some healthy fat about half an hour before a meal can keep you from reaching for large servings.

Eating good fats stimulates a hormone that signals your brain that you are not as hungry as you thought.

All you need is about 70 calories of healthy fat - six walnuts, 12 almonds or 20 peanuts. You can also munch on apples or other juicy high-fibre fruits.