Exercise helps prevent low back pain

By Kathryn Doyle

(Reuters Health) - Back pain is common and difficult to treat, but one effective strategy to help prevent it is exercise, according to a new review.

“At present, a variety of interventions, such as exercise, education, back belts and shoe insoles, are commonly prescribed to prevent an episode of low back pain,” said lead author Daniel Steffens of the University of Sydney in Australia.

But the effectiveness of these various interventions for low back pain hasn’t 

been clear, Steffens told Reuters Health by email.

“There was some variation, but in general trials included exercises to improve strength, flexibility, skill and aerobic fitness,” Steffens said. “The exercises did not just focus on the spine but included upper and lower limb exercises as well.”

Most trials had participants do two to three exercise sessions per week at the clinic plus at-home exercises, for eight weeks to 18 months.

“Regular exercise develops your muscles, bones and ligaments for increased strength and endurance,” Steffens said. It also helps with weight control, delays the aging process and reduces stress, “some of the main risk factor for low back pain,” he added.

Back pain is 25 to 33 percent less likely to recur for people who adhere to a structured exercise program, said Dr. Timothy S. Carey of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who coauthored a commentary accompanying the new results.

“Eighty percent of us will have back pain at some point in our lives,” Carey told Reuters Health by phone. “Most will get over it in a few days or weeks, but exercise appears to be a good thing in terms of prevention.”

Back pain is costly to the healthcare system and preventing it with exercise would be cost-effective for insurers, he said.

“It seems to matter less exactly what type of exercise you do than that you do it in a regular way,” he said.

To get rid of smoking

Smoking is more bad habits that affect human health. We must get rid of the final smoking. We now offer several ways to help you get rid of smoking permanently. Continued us

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Sip Cold Water and Eat Small Meals
Sipping cold water through a straw can help replace the act of sucking on a cigarette. It also releases dopamine, a feel-good brain chemical that can help ease bad moods, research shows.
Eating small meals can also help you get past the urge to smoke. Choose lean, healthy foods to avoid weight gain

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Note Instant Rewards

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Brush Your Teeth Often

One of the instant perks of quitting is that your mouth tastes better and your breath smells better. Brush often. That way, you'll be less inclined to light up a cigarette and foul that clean, fresh mouth

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Find Your Own No-Smoking Zones
When the urge to smoke strikes, go somewhere you can't light up  a movie, the library, or a store for example. The more distracting the place is, the easier it will be to ride out cravings

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Be Active Every Day

Exercise offers a powerful distraction from cravings. When your body is active, it sends out natural chemicals that help your mood and ease your stress. Walking is one of the easiest exercises for most people. Choosing a few different activities might help you stay motivated, though. Set aside time to be physically active every day -- especially in the first month after you've quit smoking

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Fill Your Calendar

During the first few weeks after you kick the habit, fill your days with things you want or need to do. Make plans to eat meals with family or friends, and try to steer clear of smoking temptations. The busier you are, the more distracted you'll be from the urge to smoke

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Secure a Lifeline
Ask someone to be there for you when you need support. The best choice is a friend who is also a former smoker. But anyone who cares for you and wants you to quit smoking can help when times get tough.

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Be Alert to Bad Moods

Negative emotions -- stress, anger, frustration -- are another common reason people go back to smoking. Bad moods happen to everyone, and chances are you'll feel more than your fair share of them during the first few weeks of quitting. Find ways to distract yourself. Get together with friends or do something else you really enjoy.

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Be Patient and Stay on Track

Once you make it through the first 2 weeks, you're on your way to a lifetime free of nicotine addiction. But be prepared in case you falter. Remember: One lapse doesn't mean you've failed. Just consider what went wrong. Then think up ways to prevent the same problem from happening again.

Löwen Hotel Montafon - What A Beautiful Stay

The newly renovated Löwen Hotel is located among the breathtaking Montafon mountains. Arriving at this place is a wonderful balance of celebrating life and enjoying mother nature. You’ll quickly realise that life proceeds at a different pace at the Löwen Hotel. Quieter. 

Schruns is a lovely and very small town - there are just a few restaurants with typical Austrian food, ideal after a tough skiing day. The Hotel itself is well-situated in the middle of the village, you can walk every distance.

Wooden materials which are being used outside and inside the Hotel transform the whole trip into a very lovely and cosy experience. The rooms are relatively little but that doesn't change the comfortable atmosphere. Very likely to a typical chalet in the mountains, trust me you sleep very well here. The fresh air and pure silence is meditation for your soul. The bathroom scores with a rain shower and the common theme that has been used for the interior design.

So let's talk about an outstanding point of the Löwen Hotel - the spa. I have never seen such a roomy spa. It's 3000m2 large and contains all the fancy options you expect. There is a sauna, steam bath, outdoor pool, indoor pool and a super-scale massage area. It was the best massage I have ever had. 

And when you get out of bed early enough, the sun is rising between the mountains and throws the fog of the pool into a fairytale spirit. No place on earth gives me more peace than the mountains.

It was the first time I have travelled to Austria to spend an astonishing spa week-end. And to be honest the whole trip couldn't have been better. The sun was shining, not a single cloud and a bit of snow was pure romance. The area around Schruns is a dream in winter and in summer. During winter season you can go skiing or snowboarding and in summer season it's famous for hiking.

The price-performance at this place cannot be better. The room prices are can be a bit higher dependent on the season, but still very fair. We loved this place so much, a week-end trip is going to be a wedding present for some friends.

A [beauty] blast from the past!

This post has been stuck in my 'drafts' for SO long. You won't believe it. Probably for two years now. It's a post full of heart-breaking (and skin-breaking) memories for me.

A journey of changes in the past 5 years, in terms of beauty. What I'm talking about is skin, make-up styles, interests, etc. Just cause we all know I've always been beautiful.. *brb, puking*


2009 -- 16 years

I was 16 in this photo and behind me sat my closest friend at the time (if I could remember, she was probably my only friend too). We were at her house working on our Multimedia assessment, I believe! No make-up (I think). 

2010 -- 17 years young, HSC student.

2010 was probably the most miserable year of my life, no joke! I was struggling so much through everything -- family, friends and my skin was just disastrous! 

Early 2010

Early 2010 (lookin' better with make-up and a shit quality webcam!)

Skin: I started 2010 with very bad cystic acne. Hopped onto the Roaccutane bandwagon as suggested by a friend, Jeff.

Beauty: Had eyelash extensions & started wearing circle lenses. Loved nude lips and dark-lined eyes

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June 2010 -- swatching NYX's Sky Pink

Skin: Mum was right when she said "Your whole face is covered in pimples, the only places without pimples are your eye areas". :(

Beauty: Piled on more foundations and BB creams to cover up those cystic breakouts! I remember feeling quite uncomfortable without coverage make-up.. but who wouldn't with such disastrous breakouts? :( Still really liked nude lips........................ even though they didn't suit moi.

September 2010

Skin: Skin was super dry from Roaccutane, but cystic breakouts slowly went away..
Beauty: Still wore the same amount of make-up, but slowly dropped the circle lenses! Started wearing nude-pinks instead of the usual nude-beiges.


2011 -- 18 years old.

Feb 2011

Skin: Skin recovered completely from cystic breakouts, but was still quite dry!
Beauty: Wore more natural make-up and never stepped out of my comfort zone. Preferred lipglosses over lipsticks.

March 2011

Beauty: Was really inspired by Lee Hyori's make-up for CLEO cosmetics!

April 2011

Skin: Skin slowly recovered from flakes and dryness, but no more breakouts at all.
Beauty: Started experimenting with different products and brushes and started lining the lower lash line more often. Still in love with lipglosses and preferred natural rosey pinks.

May 2011

Skin: No more skin problems except for the leftover acne scars.
Beauty: Always wore foundation. Was really in love with Park Bom's (from 2NE1) make-up, so I started sporting really dramatic winged out eyeliner and double eyelid tapes. Those were the days...

June 2011

Skin: Really bad eye-bags, acne scars still chillin' around.
Beauty: Still ALWAYS wore foundation. Ventured into the world of lipsticks. Still a bit between both lipsticks and glosses.


2012 -- 19 years old.

January 2012

Skin: Slightly dry areas around the cheeks (still like that, now).
Beauty: Still self-concious about my skin. This was at the beach, and if I remember correctly, I wore foundation to the beach. Brows are horrible. Just straight, never really bothered/looked into them at that point in time. Confident enough to leave home without eyeliner and the rest.


2013 -- 20 years old!

January 2013

Skin: Foundation still all over, but I slowly started to feel comfortable going out without foundation.
Beauty: Still a victim of wearing wrong-toned foundations. Discovered the world of corals, I believe. 2013 was probably the year of corals for me. I loved coral lipsticks and blushers! Brows are STILL meh. What!!!
Hair: Dyed it. Brown. First time ever.

April 2013

Beauty: Minimal make-up. MY BROWS FINALLY LOOKS OK!!!
Hair: Regrowth. Too cheap to touch-up/redye. Screw it!

 December 2013

Beauty: Flick-out eyeliners all day, every freaking day! Tried hard on brows, but both sides are STILL so hard to even out!
Hair: Dyed hair back to black in October 2013. 

2014 -- 21 years old!!

May 2014

Beauty: I've began to drop off eyeliners. I wore very little. 2014 is the year of brows for me. Brows suddenly became extremely important. Here, in this photo, I'm still trying to even them out. Wore very minimal make-up out, unless it's a special occasion.
Hair: Chopped short, a tad longer than shoulder-length.

November 2014 (now!)

Beauty: My eyelids grew, over the many nights of being upset. My eyelids were never thick, but as you can see from this photo, they are somewhat visible now. My eyelids were double before, but also hooded! I slowly dropped off eyeliner, however, mascara is slowly becoming a daily necessity! Brows NEEDS TO BE ON POINT. Currently really into matte lip products. Could leave home without a trace of make-up. Np.

Hair: Growing!! Still waiting to chop it off to donate to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths. Really want to balayage it as soon as it's cut short!


That's up till now!


Now, I'm happy to say I can leave the house without make-up, still feeling confident. I feel like make-up surely does make me feel "prettier", but I'm fine without it. I'm now confident in my own skin, make-up is only a bonus.

However, just because I said that, doesn't mean you get to challenge me to CLUBS, PUBS, PARTIES WITHOUT MAKE-UP ALRIGHT???


Grooming is a form of manners, afterall.. So go away you boys who thinks all of us "wear make-up because we are not confident in ourselves!" or it's to "impress guys". It's only the same if those are the same reasons why you gel your hair and shave your mo'!


Leave us alone!!!

Travel Make-Up Bag

WHAT'S IN MY TRAVEL MOOK-UP BAG?

Well, I had like, half an hour to pack my make-up bag [to Melbourne for 4 days] and here were the products that I chose to bring with me. Good news is that I did not regret bringing any one of these products! Yay! Some, I did not even use.

My go-to make-up bag is this red bag by The Face Shop. A friend (?) from Singapore had sent me this last year, and it has been my bag since! It's very spacious and pretty, but I need a new one. Which bag do you use as your travel make-up bag?


❶ BASE

Skin has been real good to me, so I didn't bother with the primer and powder. As long as I have my Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation ($19.95), a long-lasting foundation with a natural, dewy finish and medium/full coverage. Easy to apply, so it's perfect for on-the-go's!

Brought this along, but never used it -- Face Of Australia Eye Lights Under Eye Concealer* ($12.95).


❷ BRUSHES

Four of these brushes are by Royal & Langnickel's Silk Green Line*. The Powder Brush was once, what it was supposed to be used for, a powder brush. However, it's now my bronzing brush. I seldom powder anymore, with my new foundation!

Then there's the blusher brush, that I use to apply blushers and highlighters.

The next two are for my browns! Small slanted brush for drawing in the tail of my brows and the squared tip brush to fill in the inside of the brows. Its width fits the size of my brows purrrfectly!

Traditional synthetic foundation brush by Nude By Nature*. Nothing special.


❸ PALETTES

Three palettes, or technically 2 palettes and 1 small shade for my brows. I've only brought the Le'lan Vital palette to use the dark brown for my brows.. Eehm. So bulky. I really need a new product for my brows!!

BYS Blusher Trio 'On The Bright Side' ($6.95) was the palette I selected to suit my pink lipsticks. Blushers and lip colours always need to match-up in my beauty world, so only brought along a set of pink blushers/lippies.

I really like the bronzer of Face Of Australia's Glamazon Leopardess Contour & Highlight Kit* ($9.95). It suits my skin much more than my previous favourite, Australis' Jumbo Mineral Bronzer. My FAVOURITE HIGHLIGHTER OF ALL TIME IS STILL The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer, but I didn't want to risk breaking that again, so nah.


❹ EYES

My favourite felt-tip liner, Maybelline Master Precise Eyeliner ($13.95). Long lasting and easy to use, good stuff!

Another item I've brought, but never really used is Australis' Lash & Brow Extender ($10.95). Also needed a brown eyeliner for lazy-eyeliner days, so Savvy by DB's Brilliant Bronze ($7.95) was my pick!


❺ LIPS

No lip-glosses allowed, because I'm always lazy to touch-up. I actually brought 3 products along with me, but one died on the way home, so here are the two left.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo ($12.95), a long-lasting red that I could always depend on! Yes! Then there's Face Of Australia Lip Quench in Peaches & Cream* ($9.45). Many dislike the scent of this, but this is one of my favourite pink shades!


❻ MISC

Other small products and items:

Random eyelash curler, Face Of Australia Sharpener ($4.95), Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm* ($6.95), Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion (sample) and The Face Shop Power Perfection BB Cream (sample).


That's all! Even though I only spent half an hour to collect these, there were no times that I gasped, "ah I should've brought..." during the trip. These were perfect!

Rewind back, I wouldn't change a single thing!

OK. I lied. Maybe more lipsticks..

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Disclaimer: Products marked with (*) were provided for consideration only.