Lose hip fat with 5 quick and easy exercises

New Delhi: One of the hardest places to lose fat from is the hips. There are some exercises that are fast and easy that will help you shed those unwanted kilos from your hips. It is, however important to remember that a healthy diet is essential to get a perfect butt.

In addition to a healthy diet, some minor changes in your everyday life can also help. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator and park a little further away from the door.

1. One of the easiest exercises to lose hip fat is by simply jumping on a trampoline. Begin by jumping for a two minute period.

2. By adding a short walk to your day, you will exercise the hip area and begin to attack the deposited fat cells.

3. Toning the abdominal muscles will also help lose hip fat. This can be done by performing a variety of ab exercises such as twists or crunches. Do not over do it with these. Abdominal exercises are most effective when done three times a week.

4. Squats are a great way to reduce unwanted fat on the hips. This is a simple exercise. You begin in an upright position and bend your knees, lowering your body. Then come back up. Not only will this exercise help with hip fat, but it will also tone leg muscles.

5. Cardio exercises are the best way to lose fat from the body. A complete cardio workout will speed the metabolism and burn calories. These exercises do not build muscle but they strengthen the heart and help burn calories.

Wild almond tree oil `may help combat obesity and diabetes`

Washington: Researchers, including one of Indian origin, have found that a future weapon in the battle against obesity and diabetes could come in the form of an oil derived from the seeds of wild almond trees.

According to researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology, the key to the oil’s potential lies in its ability to affect certain microorganisms living in our bellies.

In the study, the researchers reported that adding sterculic oil to the diets of obese laboratory mice increased their sensitivity to insulin. This was due to the oil’s effect on three types of microorganisms that live in the guts of the mice.

As a result, the researchers saw a “statistically significant improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in the obese mice,” Shreya Ghosh, a Ph.D. student in environmental engineering at Missouri S and T, said.

The sterculic oil had no adverse affects on lean mice fed the same diet.

Sterculic oil is extracted from the seeds of the wild almond tree known as Sterculia foetida.The research by Ghosh and her advisor, Dr. Daniel Oerther, builds upon previous studies conducted at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In those studies, sterculic oil was found to suppress the bodily 

SCD1 is associated with insulin resistance, a condition that can lead to diabetes and obesity.

Other studies have shown that obese mice deficient in the hormone leptin have a different composition of “gut microbiota” than do lean mice.

Leptin helps regulate metabolism, and a deficiency of the hormone can contribute to obesity, says Oerther, the John and Susan Mathes Chair of Environmental Engineering at Missouri S and T.

In the Missouri S and T study, a diet supplemented by sterculic oil also correlated with lower levels of three types of gut microbiota – Actinobacteria, Bacilli and Erysipelotrichia – in the obese mice.

It isn’t clear, however, whether the lower levels of those microbiota led to the improvement of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity among the obese mice, Oerther says.

To perform her experiments, Ghosh studied 28 male mice – 14 of them obese and 14 normal, and each of them five weeks old at the beginning of the study.

She separated the mice into four groups and for nine weeks, fed a standard diet to one group of obese mice and one group of non-obese mice.

Over the same period, she fed the same diet, supplemented with 0.5 percent of sterculic oil, to one group of obese mice and one group of non-obese mice. Ghosh recorded the weights, food consumption and glucose levels of the mice during the nine-week period.

After the nine weeks, researchers conducted a DNA analysis of the gut microbiota at King Abdullah Institute of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

The results confirmed correlations between the diet, improved glucose tolerance and groups of microbes. Even though the mice fed a diet with sterculic oil did not experience weight loss, both Ghosh and Oerther believe their findings could lead to new insights into controlling diabetes and weight gain.

The study was presented at the American Society for Microbiology’s general meeting in San Francisco. ANI

Knee joint technique helpful in shoulder joint treatment too

Pune: The latest method of regenerating natural cartilage for a severely affected knee joint, called ACI, can also be successfully used to permanently repair a shoulder joint, a city surgeon has claimed.

Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI), a procedure extensively performed for knee joint, was undertaken for shoulder joint for the first time in India to treat a 20-year- old badminton player here who had met with an accident.

Kunal, the patient who went in for a routine shoulder implant, developed more complications as his right shoulder cartilage further deteriorated resulting in pain and stiffness. He approached Ashish Babhulkar, a shoulder specialist who recommended that he immediately remove the implant and instead undergo ACI to save the joint.

"Kunal had a defect size of 6.6 mm on his right shoulder. We undertook a biopsy, a small piece of healthy cartilage tissue was harvested and sent to a cell processing centre for chondrocyte culture for four weeks.

"These cultured cells were implanted back into the defect site. The implantation has been successful and in six to eight weeks of post operative rehabilitation, the patient will regain his full range of motion and function," Babhulkar, who performed the surgery, said at a media presentation.

Elaborating on the method, he said ACI, a two-step minimally invasive procedure, ensures the natural and permanent repair forming new "hyaline like" cartilage.

"This treatment has been extensively performed for knee joint, but was never undertaken ever for shoulder joint in India," claimed Babhulkar, a member of Indian Arthroscopy Society and Asian Federation of Sports Medicine.

"The advent of ACI as treatment for cartilage and joint defects can be attributed mainly to increased awareness among both doctors and patients and also to the reduced cost of due to the availability of cell culturing in India itself."

Describing ACI as the "optimal treatment" for cartilage defects, he said it was ideally suited for young adults as it addressed the root cause of the problem. 

                                                                                      Source

Six divers missing off Malaysian island rescued

Kuala Lumpur: Six scuba divers, including two foreigners, who went missing off a Malaysian resort have been rescued by a passing tugboat after they spent 21 hours floating in the sea, an official said on Sunday. 

The six - four Malaysians, one Singaporean and one from China - disappeared yesterday after they went for scuba diving off Tioman islands, said a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) official. 

MMEA had launched a rescue bid yesterday with three boats but had to stop the search operations last night due to poor visibility.  

The search was resumed this morning with additional boats, reported Malaysia Star newspaper. 

District enforcement chief Maritime Capt Abdul Aziz Idrus said a local tugboat located and rescued the divers about 20 nautical miles north of Tulai Island, about 3km from Chebeh Island in Tioman today. 

Only one person with the group, whose members were aged between 25 and 33 resurfaced after the dive yesterday, he said, adding that there were two women in the group. 

"A report was then lodged at the Pulau Tioman Marine Park," said Idrus, adding that the Kuantan district maritime investigation department is looking into the cause of the incident.

Source

You Need to Love Yourself First

I remember the first time I heard that, in order to love someone else you first needed to love yourself. At the time, it didn’t make a bit of sense. Weren’t you vain if you loved yourself (or at least if you admitted it to anyone else)? 

But the truth is to truly love others, you must love yourself. You must believe you are worthy of love in order to fully give your love to someone else. 

The first advice I give anyone who wants to learn about how to meet women is to first focus on yourself and building your self-confidence and self-esteem. 

Relationship guru Mike Robbins writes about this self love on The Huffington Post: 

Robbins is a motivational speaker and coach. He has written two books: “Focus on the Good Stuff and Be Yourself" and “Everyone Else is Already Taken." 

In his article in the Huffington Post, Robbins talks about that little voice in our heads that is constantly telling us we are not good enough. 

See the truth is that we often are looking for happiness outside ourselves. If you think you need something or someone to make you happy, you will never find true happiness. 

“Self love is what we’re all searching for," Robbins writes. “In our work, our relationships, and our lives. Sadly, we spend most of our time thinking that someone or something else can give us what only we can give ourselves. To be truly fulfilled in life and relationships, we have to find the love within us and give it to ourselves. No other person, material possession, or accomplishment can do it. It’s up to us." 

For only those who find happiness within themselves, by loving themselves, will find it with others. 

Many of us abstractly believe that loving ourselves is important, but do we really mean it? 

“For most of us, loving ourselves is something we may know is important, but often have difficulty actually feeling, expressing, and embodying," Robbins writes.

So just how do you go about loving yourself? Well Robbins has some tips. 

The first advice he gives is to look at how you treat yourself. Look at the role self love plays in your life. Are you too hard and critical to yourself when you should be more kind and loving and understanding? 

Then, practise loving yourself unconditionally, the way really good parents do. A parent who gives unconditional love says they will always love you no matter what. No matter what. That means accepting all our faults and mistakes and so on and loving us anyway. 

Third, start practising your self love immediately. Start getting rid of that harsh, negative self talk and learn to be understanding and tolerant of your own foibles. 

“Self love is the starting point, not the end game, of our conscious growth and development," Robbins writes. “… when we put our attention on loving ourselves in an authentic way, everything in our lives that is important to us our work, our relationships, our goals, and more flows from there with a sense of ease, joy, and, most important, love.  

About the Author

Bill Preston has been studying personal development and dating advice for the past 5 years and is a guest instructor at the top Pick Up Artist Boot camp in NYC. He loves sharing his experience and expertise with other men looking to improve their lives. Find out more athttp://www.puaforums.com

Photo credit: Maggie Smith (http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=172) 

Five-Step Method for Making Sauces

As a home cook, one of the hardest things for me to accomplish when first starting out was making a rich velvety brown sauce to serve on steak, lamb, veal, pork, or even chicken. I could put together a pretty good pan sauce using the dripping after sautéing or roasting a piece of meat but it never quite had that incredible intensity that I experience when dining out at a great restaurant. 

It wasn’t until I spent some time reading about sauce making and speaking with a few chef friends that I learned it isn’t so much the “how to” but the “ingredients” that make the difference. Using my 5-step method to making a great brown sauce is easy if you have all the necessary ingredients and I will give you some great resources for find them. 

What is a Sauce? 
According to Food Lover’s Companion, a sauce is “a thickened, flavoured liquid designed to accompany food in order to enhance and bring out its flavour.” Now that can cover a lot of territory. It goes on to say, “In the days before refrigeration, however, sauces were more often used to smother the taste of foods that had begun to go bad.” I’m sure we have all had experiences that have proven this true even in the days of refrigeration……Think back to your high school cafeteria. 

But in the 19th century, the French created an intricate process for making sauces that is still being taught in cooking schools all over the world. This process involves numerous steps and if you have the time, I highly recommend James Peterson's, "Sauces" and Raymond Sokolov's "The Saucier's Apprentice". They are entirely devoted to just this subject. 


Why is it so difficult to make great sauces at home? As Chef Alton Brown says in his cookbook, I’m Just Here For The Food, “By and large, most home cooks don’t do sauce…and that’s too bad. Traditional sauces are indeed scary.” 

The process just to prepare the key ingredients that go into a sauce takes a lot of time. It starts by making a stock with roasted beef and/or veal bones, reducing them for at least 12 hours, continuously skimming the pot,straining the liquid to remove the bones, reducing some more, adding a roux (a mixture of flour and butter used as a thickening agent) and you now have a nice brown sauce or sauce espagnole. 

A professional chef will then reduce this brown sauce further to make a demi glace, the mother of all sauces. These guys spend a lot of time in cooking school learning how to do this and take great pride in the sauces they can make with it. These stock reductions are the foundation to hundreds of classic sauces being served in fine restaurants. 

Why can’t I just use a bouillon cube? 
Unless you want to ruin an expensive cut of meat by covering it with a salty, corn syrup reduction, I would stay away from bouillon cubes or any of those cheap packets of instant sauces you see in your local supermarket. Just look at the ingredients to see if what’s inside is real or simply processed. You can’t build a sound house without a strong foundation. The same is true when making sauces. 

What’s a home cook to do? Since making a great sauce at home depends of finding a good stock reduction or demi glace, I would like to offer you the following resources. 

* Make it yourself. A great experience but one most of us will not take on.

 

* Make friends with the chef at your favourite upper end restaurant and see if he or she will share some of their brown gold with you. Be prepared to beg or pay through the nose to get them to part with this stuff. Not likely, but worth a try.

 

* Hire a personal chef to make it for you. You may end up having to subscribe to years worth of dinners, which isn’t all that bad, but you will have your demi.

 

* Buy it a high-end gourmet store. If you really search hard, you may be able to find stock reductions in the refrigerator section of some really high end stores. You won’t get much, but you don’t need a lot and it won’t be cheap.

 

* Williams-Sonoma is now selling their own stock reductions. I have not had that much experience with them but they usually sell high quality items.

 

* Find demi glace and stock reductions that are used in high-end restaurants and are available to home cooks. More Than Gourmet makes the best products I know of that fit that description. 

My Quick & Easy 5 Step Method Quick Look 

1. Sauté a shallot in butter
2. Deglaze pan with wine
3. Add demi glace
4. Reduce
5. Season with salt & pepper 

More Details 

1. Sauté a chopped shallot or small onion in one ounce of butter (1/4 stick) for 1-2 minutes until translucent.
2. Deglaze with 1/2-cup red wine and reduce to an essence (approximately one tablespoon of remaining liquid). Be sure to remove the pan from the heat before deglazing.
3. Add 8 ounces of demi-glace.
4. Reduce the sauce until it is thick enough to coat a spoon.
5. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste. 

One last item that is optional but often used by professional chefs is a pat of butter. It adds a bit more flavour and shine to the finished sauce.   

 

Photo credit: Carlos Porto (http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=345)

The New Jotashield from Jotun - finally a paint that fights fading

Kuala Lumpur : It is worth making tough choices when it comes to sprucing up your home with a new coat of paint. You spend hours doing research, poring over countless home décor magazines, and consulting with friends. 

 

But, how can you be sure that the colours stay bright, vibrant, and fresh on your walls after years of battling rain, dust and scorching heat?

 

The new Jotashield with AntiFade Colours, specially formulated for Malaysia’s severe weather conditions and high levels of humidity and pollution, comes with built-in paint technology that ensures durability to make your home look beautiful for many years.

 

Photo (top right): Media Launch of Jotun's new Jotashield with AntiFade Colours.  From left are Ms Saw Soek Im - Regional R&D Manager of Jotun Asia Pacific, Mr Peder Bohlin - Managing Director of Malaysia and Regional Director of Jotun South-East Asia, Mr Francis Chang - General Manager Sales & Marketing, Decorative Segment ofJotun Malaysia, and Mr Chen Lee Siong - Regional Marketing Director, Decorative Segment of South-East Asia and China.

Jotashield with AntiFade Colours is marketed and distributed by Jotun, one of the world’s leading paint manufacturers specialising in Marine, Protective and Decorative coatings.

 

“A good paint is always a wise investment,” believes Peder Bohlin, Managing Director, Jotun (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and Regional Director for Southeast Asia. “As a company, we are particularly proud of our technological advances and rewarding Research and Development achievements.”

 

Jotashield with AntiFade Colours, which offers an extensive range of UV colours and proprietary features, underwent five years of development and exhaustive tests to emerge the best in its class.

 

Owing to Jotun Pigment technology and a selection of high-grade colourants, Jotashield with AntiFade Colours provides two times UV protection than other paints in the market. It is also dust and dirt resistant so that the walls of your home always look clean.

 

“Choosing colours may be the fun part of your home improvement plan – but choosing the right paint is a critical factor,” notes Bohlin. “Durable paint quality and colours are assets that homeowners can value.”

 

Bohlin adds that Jotashield is a trusted and reliable brand name that has beautified more than a million homes and buildings in Malaysia since 1984.

 

Jotashield paints are also free of harmful materials and chemicals, making them environmentally friendly. Also, with proven infra-red pigment technology, Jotashield’s solid and dark colours effectively reflect sunlight that enables a temperature reduction of the exterior of your home, resulting in a cooler interior.

 

Choosing the best quality paint can have a dramatic effect on how well the finished work looks. Quality paints look brighter, are more dirt resistant, and with colours that last longer.

 

“Now, painting with Jotashield will result in your home undergoing a remarkable transformation in terms of look and feel – and delivers a spanking new look for at least six years,” states Bohlin.

 

Bored with your tired looking home? Join the millions of homeowners worldwide who have given their homes a new lease of life with Jotashield with AntiFade Colours by Jotun.

Focus Point showcases hottest styles from Loewe's 2012 Spring Summer Eyewear Collection

Media appreciation serves as platform for exclusive eyewear preview

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia’s largest professional eyewear retailer, Focus Point recently presented an exclusive preview of renowned Spanish luxury and leather goods brand, Loewe’s hottest looks and latest must-haves from its 2012 Spring / Summer eyewear collection. The special showcase at chic gastropub, Estate, The Intermark was organized as the main highlight of Focus Point’s media appreciation luncheon attended by more than 60 guests.

 

Established in 1846, Loewe emerged as the foremost Spanish luxury brand in the first decades of the 20^th century and is today a part of the LVMH Group and well known not only for its leather goods, but also its ready-to-wear collections, fashion accessories and perfumes. Loewe’s latest offering features an assortment of stylish eyewear in strikingly feminine, comfortable and easy to wear frames and shapes.

 

The 2012 Spring / Summer eyewear collection reflects the bold passion and innovative excellence that is the very essence of the Spanish luxury label.  Warm, intense colors such as coral red, havana and cherry, and the odd bright hue such as turquoise suffuse the collection with life and adds a dramatic effect to the timelessly elegant styles.

 

The women’s collection focuses on four key themes – Timeless Iconswhich highlights the ‘padlock’ that makes each Loewe bag so unique, as a little jewel set between the temples; Flamenco which features roses and flowers inspired by the embroidered silks of the Mantones de Manila and traditional shawls used by flamenco dancers on the arms; Nappa Heritage which highlights the brand’s distinguishing feature - its soft and luxurious trademark leather; and the signature ‘4Ls’ anagram and logo, the classic Loewe touch.

 

Kim Ng, CEO of Focus Point Vision Care Group Sdn Bhd remarked, “Loewe has always been a vibrant brand and we are pleased to be given this opportunity to showcase the ingenuity of the brand’s creative director, Stuart Vevers. As in previous times, our close relationship with the exclusive makers and distributors of Loewe eyewear, De Rigo has afforded us the privilege of presenting this new collection first hand to our media friends.

 

Managing Director APAC for De Rigo Hong Kong Ltd, Vittorio Trusso who attended the Loewe eyewear showcase with colleagues, Larin Wong, APAC Regional Manager and Sylvia Chiu, Marketing Manager said he was excited about the new collection and confident of Focus Point’s partnering abilities to drive the brand to greater heights.

 

“As a market leader in the local eyewear industry, Focus Point prides itself in bringing in the latest and most sophisticated eyecare and eyewear to consumers and setting trends in the eyewear fashion industry. We believe this collection will appeal to the local audience,” he added.

 

The Focus Point media appreciation luncheon concluded with branded eyewear lucky draws and exclusive merchandise giveways. The new Loewe collection retails from RM868 to RM1242 and will be available exclusively at Focus Point outlets nationwide beginning March 2012.

 

About Focus Point Vision Care

 

Focus Point Vision Care is currently the market leader in the professional eye care industry in Malaysia, garnering over 10% market share. Focus Point carries over 180 brands of prescription frames and fashion eyewear and is the exclusive distributor of 16 original brands including Loewe, Serengeti, Davidoff and Jaguar in Malaysia.

 

With more than 175 professional eye care centres nationwide, the Group operates 7 propriety brand outlets namely “Focus Point”, “FocusPointOpticalCity”, “Opulence”, “WazzUp”, “EyeFont”, “ExcelView” and “Solariz”.

French Chic Springs into Fashion in Malaysia

 

Petaling Jaya – French fashion brand, SOPHIE PARIS, today opened its doors in Malaysia with a stylish launch at its Malaysian headquarters and Flagship Store in PJX HM Shah Tower here in Petaling Jaya.

The launch of the Flagship Store and the brand’s inaugural catalogue line at SOPHIE PARIS’ in-house fashion centre showcased French-designed handbags and accessories.

Officiated by François Matraire, Director of Ubifrance French Trade Commission and Ivan Malignon, Director of the Board and EXCO member of the Malaysian-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the event was witnessed by Bruno Hasson, Founder, CEO and Director of the SOPHIE PARIS Group and Geoffrey Bagot, Managing Director of SOPHIE PARIS Malaysia.

SOPHIE PARIS has been making a name for itself since 1995, when founder Bruno Hasson and a team of in-house designers launched SOPHIE’s first line. Today, thanks to the French design team under the stewardship of Creative Director and designer Arno Roca, SOPHIE PARIS is able to launch a new catalogue line every 45 working days.

In Malaysia, SOPHIE PARIS aims to grow the brand by engaging with distributors from around the country. Setting an ambitious target, Managing Director Geoffrey Bagot said, “Malaysia is a dynamic and fashion conscious nation that presents an ideal new market for the SOPHIE PARIS brand. It is an ideal time for SOPHIE PARIS to introduce ourselves to Malaysian consumers today. By the end of 2012, we hope to register 20,000 members.”

He added, “We are starting with handbags and accessories, but we hope to introduce our range of cosmetics and clothing in Malaysia by the end of this year and our shoe collection by 2013. This will solidify our sales target of RM15 million within the next 12 months.”

SOPHIE PARIS, a French brand with French designers is a network-marketing company that designs and distributes fashion-related items from apparel, shoes, handbags, costume jewellery and accessories to cosmetics. Headquartered in Jakarta, SOPHIE PARIS has expanded to Morocco, the Philippines, and Vietnam, making Malaysia the fourth country SOPHIE PARIS is expanding into, following the establishment of its headquarters in Indonesia. 

Founder Bruno Hasson said “SOPHIE PARIS has made a name for ourselves, especially in the Southeast Asian region. We produce and sell 75,000 products a day throughout the four countries we are in. This is because we have always stayed ahead of cutting-edge fashion design with our in-house creative design team. Malaysians, we are sure, will appreciate what the brand has to offer.” 

SOPHIE PARIS is Asia’s leading fashion brand that markets and distributes its products through a network-marketing model. Currently, SOPHIE PARIS Malaysia’s product range comprises handbags, wallets, costume jewellery and accessories such as watches and sunglasses. The company plans to introduce its collections of cosmetics and apparel to Malaysia by the end of 2012 and its range of shoes in 2013. 

SOPHIE PARIS has 9 brands under its umbrella which are Son Altese SOPHIE (SAS); SOPHIE Signature; SOPHIE Martin; Boys & Girls And More (B&G); ALIVE; Koshize; Kluge; SOPHIE Kids and SOPHIE Casual. 

 

About SOPHIE PARIS

SOPHIE PARIS is a French fashion company founded in 1995 by Bruno Hasson in Jakarta, Indonesia. It produces and distributes fashion products including clothing, accessories, handbags, shoes and cosmetics. The brand offers authentic French designs and has its very own in-house image consultant, fashion photographer and models at its headquarters in Jakarta. SOPHIE PARIS has over 1.5 million active members selling over 75,000 products a day, cementing SOPHIE PARIS’ place as a leading fashion network-marketing company in Asia. For more information, visit www.sophieparis.com.my.