Ma.gazin.es

Conscious Aging For Women 101 – Are You Ready to Age Gracefully? | By Karen Sands

It’s a sunny, cool, clear, blue sky Manhattan day. I am trying to keep up with the long-legged man leading the way to his favorite local Thai restaurant. At each Don’t Walk! we catch up on bits and pieces of what’s new in the field of aging.

In the tiny congested eatery, over the fragrances of our Thai dishes, he invites me to teach a postgraduate course on Conscious Aging at a prestigious Institute on Aging. Between gulps of spicy peanut flavored noodles I ask, “What do you have in mind for this new series?” Looking with half-closed eyes to both sides, and conspirational, as if to ensure that no one is listening, he confesses, “I really don’t have a firm grasp of what conscious aging really is. Do you?”

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His answer stuns me. Perhaps, because I too have been struggling to bring into words the gut feeling surrounding the phrase “Conscious Aging”. Everyone I speak with immediately resonates with the term. But their quick “Yeah!” is soon followed by a question — “Huh?”. Now I expound on the meaning of the term as if out loud for the very first time. At times my colleague disagrees and other times he seems to vaguely connect to my meandering. I hear myself saying, “…It means really being in your body, not in your head…It means owning your mortality. Accepting where you are on the spiral of life…Ahh…Taking on the mantle of truthteller…” None of these stuttering attempts captures what my gut knows.

As I head back alone to my office, my mind is racing. And I really thought I had a handle on this! Wow! Am I tottering on the line between denial and acceptance of my own aging process?

Three months later, chalk in hand, I stand ready for the first class. But nobody has come into the room. Incredulous, I wonder if I am being stood up. The theme Conscious Aging for Women 101:Through the Looking Glass is not for the faint-hearted, but this is ridiculous! As I start to pack up, the room begins to fill. The conflicted looks on their harried faces, the sputtered meek apologies for being late, — obviously, I am not alone in my denial.

Easing into the topic, I ask each woman to find a word that describes what emotion accompanied her to class. Their one-sided positive responses…curiosity, hope, excitement, etc…Betray how deeply removed these women, all professionals in the field of aging, are from the resistance their tardiness suggested. Finally, one lone voice broke the illusion: “I almost didn’t come. I was afraid. I didn’t want to get my consciousness raised, ala the 70′s, especially around the topic of aging.” Her honesty allows me to prod the group into looking at their hidden fears; to unveil their introjected cultural beliefs regarding aging.

To bring some everyday reality into the discussion, I pass around a collection of birthday cards showing the subtle, and not so subtle, negative messages that bombard us around getting older. As each card is revealed, the peals of laughter get louder as if to drown out the growing discomfort. Probing the levity reveals the undercutting messages absorbed unnoticed as if they were truths.

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Catching them off guard, I nonchalantly ask each of them to state their ages. The laughter hangs frozen in midair as a silence steals over the room. Then, like embarrassed teenage girls, they begin to whisper and snicker. One woman, who had previously maintained her rosy demeanor is so taken aback that she stiffens and looks at me, astonished, asking in disbelief, “Out loud!?!”

I continue to pry open the lid sealing their inner angst by asking them to do a repetitive sentence completion activity using the statement I am too old to…

A 66-year old, who could be counted upon to say only upbeat comments like, “Age is just a number.” or, “It’s not how old you are, it’s how old you feel that counts.”, isn’t able to do the exercise. ” There’s nothing I cannot do!”, she says adamantly. Yet, she is also the one who was most appalled that she had to tell how old she is to a group of female peers.

A sophisticated 60-year old woman who couldn’t get herself to write out what she was saying in her head, realizes that she was now too old to care what other people think. Another, in her late 50′s, surprises herself with all the things she actually thought she couldn’t do. She is shocked to realize that these are the things she no longer wants to do. A 52-year old quickly grasps that she has been operating on autopilot, living her life based on what she has projected she won’t be able to do thirty years down the road. She realizes that she has the opportunity to make different choices, thus change the complexion of her elder years.

Our final activity shakes up those still in their heads and forces them down into their bodies. When I give them the signal, each woman opens her eyes and finds herself staring into the magnified reflection of her face in the hand mirrors I have placed before them. The twittering “Oh no’s” are followed by questions: “From the neck up, or neck down?” And observations like, ” All these years I’ve been taking care of my face-moisturizing, cleansing, the whole routine. But I forgot about my neck. Nobody told me to do my neck!”

As they each examine the reflections, I ask them to notice any new details and any shifts in their attitude. Then I pop the killer questions, “Who do you see?” followed by, “What does this bring up for you?”

I expect the distressed shrieks of “Oh my God, I’m turning into my mother!” as well as the intense pleasure in some as the mirror connects them to their ancestral lineage.

As the session closes, the group notices that one woman is silent and remote, and encourages her to speak. I reassure her that she doesn’t have to. Suddenly, she says, “Oh no, I want to speak.” She hesitates for a moment, and then says, very slowly, “I don’t know who that is staring at me in the mirror. I keep trying to break the connection with this unfamiliar reflection. Yet each time I return to the mirrored image, I only see eyes and a face I do not know. What I’ve come to realize is that I don’t know who I am!”

Clearly, conscious aging is more than just a new “flash in the pan” trend. It is our opportunity to embrace the seasons of our life with openness and wonder as the unfolding mystery.

©1988-2009 Karen Sands/Future Works Institute, Ltd. Future Works® is the registered trademark of Future Works Institute, Ltd.
Karen Sands, MCC: Your Ultimate Guide to the Future, Master Coach, Professional Futurist, Career & Midlife Expert for People Ready to Change Their World & the Future, Speaker & Author.
Sign up for your free monthly ezine, “Future Works® Gazette”. Learn more about tools for positively transforming yourself and the world, visit http://www.FutureWorksInstitute.com. Join Karen on Twitter, LinkedIn & Facebook.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Sands
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Picking The Right Corporate Clothing | By Bruce Scott

Corporate clothing is often very essential to most company. Not only does corporate clothing help to promote your company images it also ensures each of the members of your work team can be identified easily & will always fit with the quality you choose to describe. In most cases, corporate work wear is one of the best ways to keep your employees looking good and feeling great. Additionally, it will support you to keep the overall appeal of your employees to customers and others high.

There are a lot of reason why corporate clothing is necessary in the company. Here are some of the reason:
To make your employee look smart, this clothing ensures that your staff are presentable. To enhance the confidence of your work force-if they feel and look smart, they take much pride with their work.

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It shows that they are belong on your company – it shows that the company values them, as it proving them with the right clothing so that they can do their job properly. A cheap advertising – corporate clothing serve as a walking advertisement.

On the other hand, finding the quality corporate clothing for your employees is an important process. But if you are in trouble in choosing it you can ask some of the idea and opinion of your employee. It is necessary to get their opinion, because they are the one to wear it. If it chosen carefully, will be long lasting, and represent good value for money. In addition, you know that if the safety of your staff partly depends upon their clothing, then they will be safe.

Choose a corporate clothing that stands for a long period of time. Consider the fabric, the color-make sure it does not wear out easily, and also the style-choose the style that is trendy not only this time but also for the years to come. Choose a corporate work wear that is attractive to everyone. Pick a clothing that is conservative and must comfortable to wear by staff.

It will be better if a company go for descent corporate clothing selection. Because if a person wearing a descent clothing look more disciplined, educated and elegant. To make difference, some of the corporate clothing is trying out by various dress designers for adding some fashion and style in it. Some company customized their work wear according to their choice. Some are putting a logo or a short punch line on it. Most are looking for durability and quality of it to save money.

But before choosing a corporate clothing, an analysis of their competitor is also necessary. This will help the company to survive in the competition. This will also provides a good atmosphere inside the company. There will be also an equality between the employee. Encourage your employees to dress the items you purchase and to deal their input on them. Over time, you may find that there are some items that they really do enjoy wearing. With your company logo or promotional punch line on them, they really can work for you in many ways.

Bruce Scott is a webmaster that optimize the smartsuits.co.uk, that offer a variety of quality corporate suits, corporate clothing and smart workwear. Have the Smartest Suits whilst generating income for your Business, without compromising on quality.

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Want to know what hat size your need?   Just use the following instructions in order to correctly determine your perfect hat size.

Step 1 – Find Your Measuring Device

Round-up a fabric or cloth measuring tape .  This is a flexible, marked taped that you can wrap around your head to see your size either in inches or centimeters.  If you do not have a tape measure, you can use a piece of yarn, or even a string.

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Step 2 – Uncovering Your Head Circumference

Wrap the measuring device around your head at approximately 1/2 inch (or 1 centimeter) above your ears.  Ideally, this will be the same line around your head that you will position your hat .  If you are using a regular measuring tape , note the length directly on the tape (such as 22 1/2 inches).  If you are using a ribbon or string, simply mark the position and then measure the string or ribbon with a fixed tape, ruler, or yardstick.

Step 3 – And Change Head Circumference to Diameter – Your Hat Size!

Now that you have found out the circumference of your head, all you have left is to translate it into your custom hat size .

The easiest way is to now look up Hat Sizes on the chart, which can also help if you are measuring for fitted hats, or when measuring with centimeters .  An alternate way (besides using the chart) is to divide your Head Circumference in inches (found in step #2 above) by Pi (you know, 3.14).

Normally, hat sizes are from 6 ¾ to 7 5/8 for Adults, and 6 ¼ to 6 ¾ for children.  Many hats labeled as One Size Fits Most will fit this range of sizes . Those with bigger heads can have a hat size of 8 or even larger .  Larger size hats are made for these larger head sizes as well, but are much harder to find.

Trendy Short Hair Styles For Black Women | By Timothy B. Faber

For women, there are certain face shapes which just look better with short, cropped hair. If you’ve always worn your black hair long or in its natural state, why not try and have your locks cut short?

The good thing about wearing short hair is that they are ultra-low maintenance when it comes to styling. You do, however, need to keep it trimmed almost on a monthly basis if you want to maintain the length which looks best on your face. [More]

How to Remove Pubic Hair | By Monica C.

When it comes to looking sexy, nothing beats a good bikini waxing. The pubic area can be troublesome for bikinis (this applies to men & women who want to take a dip but can’t) especially if the person has not trimmed or ‘groomed’ his or her pubic region for a long time. A quick solution to this problem is bikini waxing.

Bikini waxing builds upon the principles of the original hot waxing procedure (that’s usually done at home or at a salon or medical spa) but integrates special considerations. Here’s something you should remember: most salons and spas consider your actual genital area as off limits. This means they won’t attempt to put wax on it or clean the area of extra hairs. You have to ask them if they can perform genital waxing.

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Is waxing your sensitive areas safe?

Generally, the answer to this question is a big, big no. The skin on male and female genitals are simply to thin and sensitive to risk waxing it. Nevertheless, people are still getting this type of waxing from spas and salons. And business are still offering these specialized services, touting that they have competent staff and the procedure is generally safe. So what’s the truth?

The risks associated with genital waxing are the most important consideration here. Have you ever experienced having torn or ‘burnt’ skin on your genital region? If you have, you would know how painful and uncomfortable it is.

Now, combine this information with the fact that hot waxing can cause large areas of the skin to become red for hours at a time. We think you get what we mean. This is why we dissuade anyone from risking it; torn skin on the genitalia is simply too much of a price for being able to wear a swimsuit or bikini.

If you think it’s safe

Of course, you would be the one deciding the fate of your pubic hair. To hot wax or not to hot wax, that is the question. Whatever you do, do not do it at home! Waxing your arms and legs is one thing, but trying to put hot wax near your penile region or scrotum is simply dangerous. If you really want to wax your genitals, go to your doctor first and ask for a real, unrestrained assessment of the potential risk. If you can, ask for a referral to a competent cosmetology clinic.

Is shaving any safer?

Having your sensitive parts close to twin blades may sound irksome, but with skill, you can pull it off. Manual or mechanical depilation is a bit safer than waxing because you can stop at any time and you have your hands to trust.

Minute changes in the angles of the twin blades and pressure applied during the shaving is key to having a safe genital shave. If you wish, you may apply soothing salves before and after the shave to soothe and moisturize the area. There would be small cuts that you won’t be able to see; though it’s painful, these minor cuts are usually non-health threatening.

Monica C. is an online medical researcher on hair and skin. To learn how to remove your unwanted body, chest, back, leg, arm, underarm or pubic hair painless and effortless at your home, visit Monica’s site: Hair Removal and Hair Removal Cream 2009 for more information.

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What to Look For When Buying Shoes | By Keith Barrett

When you’re buying a new pair of shoes, there are a number of factors that you should be considering. You might think that such considerations should be obvious, but it’s clear that plenty of people don’t spend as much time thinking about these purchases as they should do.

That lack of thought can lead to a number of problems. At the most basic level, this could mean that you may end up paying much more for your footwear than you really should be doing. Another issue could be that you may find yourself in pain.

So what are the main mistakes that people make and what should you be doing to make better shoe purchasing choices?

When it comes to price, it seems obvious that you should be carrying out price comparisons before making any purchase. This is relatively easy to do online, enabling you to quickly see whether you’ll be getting a bargain. It’s also worth noting that internet retailers often have lower overheads than more traditional competitors.

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If you don’t already do your shoe shopping via the internet then it clearly makes sense to do so if you want to spend less and get better deals. But should prices be your only consideration?

Far too many people forget about the importance of choosing shoes that will be comfortable. Although it’s obviously vital to get a bargain and to buy footwear that looks great, it’s of great importance that your shoes should offer comfort. If you’ve ever tried walking in shoes that aren’t comfortable then you’ll know how horrible this can be.

What many people don’t realise is that poor quality footwear won’t just have an impact on feet. It can also lead to problems with other parts of the body, including potential back problems.

In summary, you should be looking at three key factors when buying shoes: price, appearance and comfort. It’s the last factor that people pay the least attention to and yet it may well be the most important of all.

Get more information on footwear shopping and Fly Flots from Keith Barrett’s other articles on the subject. This article may be used by any website publisher, though this resource box must always be included in full.

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Creating Your Own Aromatic Bath Salts | By Christopher W Smith

Aromatic bath salts are very popular these days, because they can be used to alleviate stress, raise the spirits, and increase energy levels. You can buy them in numerous different scents, each of which is designed to calm and soothe. You can purchase lots of these salts which have been commercially-produced, but that can run into a lot of money. If you just don’t have the extra cash to spend for gifts or for pampering yourself with the economy the way it is right now, you can create your own aromatic bath salts for a fraction of the cost, even if you aren’t very craft-oriented.

It only takes a few simple ingredients to create your own aromatic bath salts: baking soda, salt, and a fragrance. By salt it doesn’t mean table salt, however, because that is full of so many additives. You can use non-iodized table salt if you like as well as Epsom Salt, Sea Salt, or Rock Salt. The coarser salts that have larger grains are preferable to fine salt.

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When it comes to fragrance, you have the options of using scented oils or herbs. Be sure and choose fragranced oils that are intended for use in bath products. Some of the oils you’ll find are designed to be used in other types of crafts and are unsafe to put into a bath. Be sure to choose a fragrance that you’re still going to enjoy after repeated uses.

For herbal bath salts, you’ll want to start by placing a layer of fresh herbs in a glass jar and then covering them with salt. Put plastic wrap over the top of the jar and screw the lid on tightly. Put the mixture somewhere where it can rest for a couple of weeks which will allow the salt to assimilate the scent of the herbs. Once you remove the herbs, you’ll have aromatic bath salts that will give you a soothing herbal bath.

The majority of easy aromatic bath salt recipes you’ll find will have you add some baking soda to the salts you make. By doing so you’ll have nice soft water to bathe in. When you use scented oils in this type of recipe, you don’t mix the salts ahead of time. Instead, you’ll put salt, baking soda, and fragrance into the water separately. Although this works well for your own personal use, it doesn’t allow you to either display your bath salts or give them as gifts. Be very careful to follow instructions when formulating your bath salts, too. Mixing baking soda with certain ingredients can cause a chemical reaction, and you don’t want to be responsible for giving explosive bath salts to your friends and relatives.

As you can see, it isn’t difficult to make aromatic bath salts, but you do need to exercise a bit of caution. Always be careful when mixing ingredients, because some combinations can cause safety issues. When you look for a recipe, use a source that you trust, or ask someone you know what worked for them. Always test any recipe you concoct at home before giving any of it away, too.

When you need to relax, aromatic bath salts added to a tub of hot water can provide you with a great way to do so. Even if you don’t use them, they look lovely when displayed in your bathroom. When you use essential oils, use them sparingly. Only a drop or two will be more than enough for an entire tub of water. If you use too much, it could cause skin irritation. Any essential oils that you purchase will need to be used within 2 years, because their aroma will only last that long, so don’t buy too many at once.

Admit it, you’re thinking about how a new bathtub could improve your bathroom. How do you do it though? Visit betterbathtubs.com for more tips on Whirlpool bathtubs ratingsprofessional bathtub refinishing and learn how you can do more.
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Top 5 Fashion Must Haves For Spring-Summer 2009 – A Recessionistica’s Guide | By Janice Wee

Recession or not, a girl needs decent clothes. What are the must haves this season every woman should own?

There are the very trendy clothes that may no longer be relevant next year. With the economy as it is, you might want to give those a pass.

Treat your wardrobe as an investment. What are the gorgeous pieces that can take you from this season through many Springs and Summers to come?

Dynasty style shoulder pads may be back but rather than buy one of the current heavily padded jackets or tops that would probably be out of fashion this year. If you must have that look, go dig up some old clothes that do have huge shoulder pads. Unpick them and remove them from these clothes and sew them into your existing jackets to get that look. Then when the fad is over, remove the shoulder pads.

Here’s what you should get instead.

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1. Mini Dress
One hot trend that will never truly die out is the mini dress. You see that at every collection this year. Dresses are either minis that end mid thigh, or long gowns for the evening. A mini dress need not be slutty. Don’t bare cleavage and plenty of leg at the same time. Flaunt one, cover the other. This season, arms, legs and shoulders are the erogenous zones. What’s hot? Toga dresses that show off one shoulder, halter dresses and bustier tops that show off both shoulders or the asymmetrical dress. You know the new look where the dress has one long sleeve but the neckline slants down beneath the other arm to bare the other shoulder. These are the mini dresses to get this season, which you can still wear for many summers to come.

2. White Dress.
This is a summer staple. White looks great in the hot sun. A white dress makes a woman stand out beautifully, when surrounded by green grass and flowers in the park or the sand and sea at the beach. This season offers a myriad of white dresses, from mini dresses to long gowns. From girlish cotton dresses to the sexy mini dresses, to silky, floaty dresses that make you look ethereal. Pick one that suits your personality.

3. Strappy Shoes
High heel shoes make an amazing difference to the way a woman looks. This season strappy heels abound. Those with straps that wrap around the ankle are absolutely gorgeous. If heels aren’t for you, there are flats with straps that wrap around your ankle too. Consider getting those if you don’t want a Prada fall.

4. Silk Pants
Looks like the pajama pants trend isn’t going to die out. Silky pants are here to stay. Get yourself a pair of silk pants. These should drape your legs. Pick them in a neutral shade. Preferably in a color that matches a silk jacket so that you can wear them to work as well as for play. Silk pants in neutrals like gray, black, nude or white, this season’s colors, go with everything and you can wear them year after year.

5. Halters
Halter tops and halter dresses are the big thing this season. These are seen everywhere. The halter could be with cut in shoulders, fully covered behind, with a bare back or cross straps behind. Either way, show off your arms and shoulders this season by wearing halters. (Get them toned if you must but flaunt them once you can). There are so many gorgeous halters this season so stock up on them because these are timeless.

More fashion tips from http://www.cheap-designer-clothing.net
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