103-yr-old is UK’s oldest Twitter user

While most ladies her age prefer to sit quietly, 103-year-old English lady Ivy Bean loves to Twitter, something that has made her the oldest user of the social networking site.

Bean, a great grandmother, decided to join Twitter after she got bored of using Facebook, where she had made 4,800 friends. “I’m enjoying Twitter and having my photo taken — and I’m looking forward to Deal Or No Deal,” the Sun quoted her as telling her web readers.

The ex-mill worker got a helping hand to smooth her switch to Twitter by calling in IT experts The Geek Squad.

“It’s brilliant to help someone as inspirational as Ivy to get started and teach her about Twitter,” boss Martin Dix said.

“She’s already signed up to Facebook with 4,800 friends. She shows others that you shouldn’t be frightened of technology,” he stated. Bean’s enthusiasm is spreading among her friends at Hillside Manor care home in Bradford, West Yorks. “All the residents are taking a leaf out of her book. Four signed up for computer college,” manager Pat Wright said.

“Others have joined Facebook or surf the net and enjoy themselves with ten-pin bowling on the games console,” he added. Twitter membership figures are soaring, thanks to its popularity with celebrities like US President Barack Obama, singer Britney Spears and TV star Stephen Fry.

Women concerned with weight not health

Majority of women are more concerned about their weight than overall health, says a new US poll.

The new Associated Press-iVillage poll found that half of the women aren’t down with their weight - even the 26 percent of respondents whose body mass index (BMI) is in the normal range. Of the 1,000 respondents, just one third said they don’t like their physical condition - despite the fact that obesity and a sedentary lifestyle increase the risk of ailments like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

“So many women think more about the number on the scale than whether their blood pressure or cholesterol is normal,” the New York Daily News quoted registered dietitian Keri Gans, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, as saying. “They really don’t think about disease risk as much as they do about their weight,” Gans added.
The survey also revealed that women exercise for a median of just 80 minutes per week, which means that half the women do even less exercise.

A mere eight percent of the women surveyed say they eat the minimum recommended servings of fruit and vegetables (five a day) and a full 28 percent said they consume those five servings just once a week or less. TOI

Recession-hit singles turn to net for love

Lovesick people looking for low-cost ways to find potential partners have turned to the Internet.

According to analysts Mintel, more than 40 percent of singletons have signed up to an online dating agency or are thinking of doing so – hoping they’ll click with that special someone.

They also believe that by 2014 Britons will spend a massive 150million pounds on internet dating services, reports The Daily Express. Senior leisure analyst Matt King said: “Many sites are reporting more users than ever.

“During a recession people spend more time at home rather than spending money going to bars and restaurants – and going online is seen as an effective way to meet new people.” 

King added: “As the recession bites, free internet dating is likely to increase its appeal across the board.” - TOI

3 Steps to Help You Gain Weight

There are people who will want to put weight on at some point during their life. Some will find it easier than others because  they will have a lower metabolism which means less fat is burned. For those who have higher metabolisms or just have problems putting on the extra weight, this article is for you. In this article, there are 3 steps which you need to take to ensure that you can easily gain weight.

Step 1 - Figure out why you aren't putting on weight.

It may seem stupid, but quite a few people don't assess why they aren't putting on weight. A main reason for people not putting on weight is negative nutrition. This is a condition that reduced the amount of nutrients your body absorbs from foods and if you aren't absorbing the nutrients you won't be able to put on weight. You can eat as much as you want, but still no weight gain. Factors that cause negative nutrition are:

- Smoking
- Coffee
- Alcohol
- Fast Food

You need to cut down (or cut out if you can) on these so that you can start absorbing the much needed nutrients.

Step 2 - What you need to eat
You need to get into your head that you aren't one of these people who you read about in magazines who eat certain foods. For example, you are not a 6 foot boxer who has a highly intense physical training regime and eats a lot to pile on the muscle. If you are then fair enough, but most of you aren't so don't look at what they are eating! The only way you are going to find out what to eat is to see how many calories you are meant to be eating to put weight on and then how many calories you are actually taking in and compare the two results.

The next thing you need to consider is the fact that you don't have to make drastic changes to gain weight. Small changes to your food intake can make a huge change in your body.

Step 3 – Exercise
It is important to eat right to put on weight, but you don't want that extra weight to convert to fat do you? No! What you want is exercise so that the weight you are putting on is converted into muscle. The best way to do this is by exercising 5 times a week doing strength and cardio training to keep yourself in shape.

As long as you follow the above three steps you will be on your way to putting on weight. Just remember to reduce your negative nutrition, eat healthily (balanced diet) and exercise to convert the weight to muscle mass. These steps will help you to gain weight.

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‘Hautest’ hair trends

It’s not just the clothes that are getting shorter and skimpier in the summer, experts agree that this is indeed the best  season to experiment with hair length.

Afterall, what’s a better way to beat the heat than with a sexy short crop ala Gul Panag. Not only does it help you keep a cool head — bet that’s something a lot of us could do with — it also works to send your style quotient zooming skyways.
Gone are the day’s of never ending, poker straight hair. “This season it’s all about mid length hair in loose, easy and light curls,” says noted celebrity stylist Savio Pereira who has styled the hair of some of our sizzling hotties including Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty and Neha Dhupia. So what are the styles to look out for? The bob, the fringe, the crop look, the layered look and the sleek side parting are sizzling hot.

Coleen Khan, well-known hairstylist says shorter hair length is a much better option for Indian summers. She favours the soft, unstructured hair look and says, “Waves are in as is hair that’s not too blow dried.” People with hair that’s too frizzy should get it relaxed it a bit, she adds.

Meanwhile, Najeeb Ur Rehman, chief colour and styling consultant for the Ponds Femina Miss India contestants this year opines that movement in hair is totally happening this season. “Styles range from the classic bob to more whispy layers which camouflage the face,” he says. However, he warns against directly going in for a short crop if you have very long hair. “Instead opt for a medium length hair — just above the shoulders — before going in for a short haircut. There are lesser option in short hair,” he explains.

Another happening trend according to Najeeb is flicks while Coleen says thick and heavy bangs and side bangs in particular are in. “Apart from these, the 40's style buns, neatly tied back ponytails and soft waves and tousled up hair reminiscent of the 30’s and 40’s are also rocking the hair fashion scene,” she adds.

As for the colours, this season, it’s hot to mix colours. “Try playing with colours. Three to four colours in the hair work to add texture and enhance the cut. Don’t just follow someone else, personalise your cut and your colour,” says Savio adding that warmer tones such as browns and auburns are the ones to watch out for. “Rich colours —golds and coppers and shades ranging from violetish to reds,” says Najeeb while for Coleen it's softer browns and chocolate shades. TOI

How To Remove Dark Circles Under Your Eyes

Author: Mila Sidman

Many women have dark circles under their eyes on a regular basis. In fact, 9 out of 10 people have to deal with dark circles under their eyes at one time or another. The condition has been blamed on anything from lack of sleep to the wrong diet. It is actually caused by one of three primary reasons.

Vascular inflammation caused by enlarged blood vessels beneath the thin skin under your eyes. Staying up late and allergies can cause the inflammation.

The bone structure of your face and add shadows under your eyes, making them look even darker then they are. This mostly affects people with deep-set eyes.

The third reason is hyper-pigmentation, a condition that is passed on through genetics.

Let's take a look at what you can do to get rid of these dark circles under your eyes, or at least "camouflage" them.
Get plenty of rest. I know it sounds very clich�, but you really do need your beauty sleep. Do your best to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

Eat well and drink lots of water. Include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and lean meat. The vitamins and minerals in healthy food will improve your complexion, give you more energy and overall make you feel better. It will show in your eyes as well. Combine this with drinking at least 8 glasses of water an d your skin will stay more elastic which helps with the appearance of dark circles in addition to many other skin problems.

Black Tea bags make for a great eye remedy. The black tea will help tighten the skin around your eyes, and it gives the eyes themselves a nice glow. Just brew yourself a cup of black tea and then use the teabag on your eyes. Don't burn yourself, but put it on there as hot as you can comfortably stand it.

Grate some potato with a cheese grater and put the potato pieces under your eyes. Let them soak in for about 15 minutes, then rinse with plenty of warm water.

When everything else fails, hide your dark circles under some light concealer. Pick a shade just slightly lighter than your makeup. Put some on your index finger and gently tap it under your eyes. Use a sponge to smooth it out. Don't use your fingers or the concealer stick to rub it in. That will make the circles appear even worse.

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Gabriella Demetriades IPL Miss Bollywood 2009

Gabriella Demetriades photoshoot by Suvo Das.

 

A pill to make big bellies disappear

A drug that has been used to treat asthma sufferers for 40 years may help fat people shed up to five kilograms a week, say Australian researchers.

The main ingredient in Ventolin could be the key behind the magical weight loss.A firm Down Under is planning to develop a slow-release capsule form of salbutamol, known as r-salbutamol. The company claims the drug can reduce body weight by 2 to 3 per cent a week and could be on the market in three years.

Stirling Products says it could prove to be a "massive blockbuster" because salbutamol had been proven safe.
Salbutamol administered to asthmatics acts on smooth muscle to reduce bronchial spasms, but managing director Peter Boonen said a capsule form of the drug could "turn off fat receptors". "It will move weight fairly rapidly, but it won’t be available over the counter. Doctors will prescribe it for 14 days, then review progress,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying. Salbutamol is a beta-2 agonist, which has the same effect on the adrenergic system as exercise, resulting in weight loss, an increase in muscle mass and a reduced appetite. It is rapidly excreted in urine but tolerance usually develops within days.