Do you often ask yourself if you’re still happy with the relationship? Do you often look back to check why you’re with the person you’re with right now? Do you feel that the relationship is brining you down more that it’s supposed to elate you? You may be in an unhealthy relationship.


What is a healthy relationship?
A healthy relationship should have the following qualities:

· A sense of respect for each other. Your significant other should be able to give you the same respect he expects from you. This is respect for your individuality, for your unique personality – your sense of humor or the weird way you laugh. Also this entails a sense of respect for your decisions. Accepting your decisions and understanding it. Simply put, mutual respect in a relationship means that you value each other’s differences and understand, not try to change the other person’s personality.


· Trust for each other. Trust means knowing that your partner is faithful to you no matter how many tempting opportunities surround him. This is when you see your boyfriend talking to a new girl in his class and you’d know deep inside that your partner loves you enough to not fool around. Everybody is entitled to feel jealous. It is, after all, a very normal emotion. It is how you react to that emotion that will count. Acting on jealousy will only bring you down and will not be healthy for your relationship.


· Honesty with each other. This should go hand in hand with trust as trust is based on how truthful your partner is to you. How can you trust someone who can’t be honest with you? Once you’ve caught your partner in a major lie, you’ll have doubts the next time he tells you where he’s going or who he’s going with.


· Supportiveness. Your partner will not just need your support during problematic times. There are people who seem to just appear from nowhere to offer a helping hand when everything seems chaotic, but is nowhere to be found during happy times. It’s nice to have someone to share triumph and happy times with. It always feels good to know that you have someone who believes in your capabilities and celebrates your achievements with you.


· Fairness. Relationships should be give and take. Taking turns in making decisions, be it as simple as choosing a movie to watch or a place to eat at. This means that you’re not keeping count of how many times the other person has made the decision for the two of you as a couple, and you’re not turning the decision making process into a power struggle as to who should get his way.


· Separate Identities. This means compromising in situations where there is a difference in interest. This doesn’t have to end up with one losing his identity just to give way to the other person. Both partners should still be able to maintain time for their own interest like when they started with the relationship.


· Open communication. This means being able to express how you feel openly and honestly to your partner without fear of having your candidness misinterpreted. Having the sincerity to speak what’s on your mind, provided you’ve thought it out thoroughly enough to know that what you say will be taken in a good, constructive way.

What makes a relationship unhealthy?

A relationship starts becoming unhealthy once it becomes mean, disrespectful, controlling and hurtful. Some people are exposed to domestic violence and start bringing it over to the way they carry a relationship. A person who has grown up to watching physical and emotional abuse inside their homes will most likely think that it’s normal in a relationship.


Relationships normally need work. It may have started with an overwhelming feeling of love for one another, but then again, keeping that love is a totally different thing altogether. Understanding you and your partner’s differences, accepting them and working around those differences will make your relationship easier to handle. Keeping it healthy, will make you both flourish and grow not just as individuals, but as a couple as well.

For all of us holidays, especially around Christmas is the season where we meet our family, friends and enjoy the time together. It is also the time when we tend to eat a lot, especially high calorie, high fat rich food items like pastries or meat based dishes. And then once we are done with the holiday, and get ready to return to our normal lives, we find a couple of pounds have been added to our weight. All this is primarily because of eating too much in a short span of time without any control. A lot of people face this issue of not being able to control their weight during the holiday season and end up starving or going on fad diets, which will only make them ill and weak.


Here are a few steps one can take to maintain their weight over Christmas and holiday seasons;


1. Routine -
If one has been following a set routine pattern of eating during the rest of the year, they must try and maintain that during holidays as well. This means having breakfast or lunch at a fixed timing, which will reduce craving or hunger at odd times. Also they should monitor what they eat which will give them an idea as to what to cut down and what they can eat moderately


2. Exercise-
It is not possible all the time to work out when you are traveling during Christmas or holiday season. But one should opt to walk to the grocery store instead of taking the car or taking the staircase even if elevators are available. Any form of exercise will help burn the excess fat accumulated from eating all those rich food.


3. Experiment with food-
A couple of weeks before your holiday begins start experimenting with food, try different salad dressings and see what appeals to your taste. Also try cutting down on meat and piling on vegetables, which is a good alternative to controlling your calorie intake.


4. Lifestyle alteration-
One should understand that maintaining their body weight is all to do with the kind of lifestyle they adopt. And when you are on a holiday and are having social gatherings or parties, watch the amount of alcohol you consume, as this will add to your calorie consumption.


What is important is to not worry about one’s weight, but stay active and enjoy the holidays.

Thousands of people are looking for lose weight tricks which can help them with their ongoing struggle. All over the world people are looking for some answers which can make the difference between a frustrating struggle to lose weight, and smooth steady progress. Here are some lose weight tricks designed to help you find the right path.


Lose Weight Tricks 1
If you are determined to lose weight, you have got to stick at it. Nothing great was ever achieved without some effort, and possibly the odd sacrifice. Don't worry if you think it is all taking too long. Time seems to go very quickly in our busy world, so before you know it you will be where you want to be. The time will pass anyway, so make use of it to create a better and healthier you.


Lose Weight Tricks 2
Reward yourself when you achieve major targets. It is a time tested psychological trick to give yourself small treats as a reward when you achieve something significant. Losing your first five pounds is a vital landmark, for example, so go and visit your favorite restaurant to celebrate. Of course you need to exercise some restraint when you get there, but you are more likely to do this when you are full of satisfaction having reached a significant target!


Lose Weight Tricks 3
Eat a lot of salad food. There are virtually no calories in salad, but plenty of water and nutrients. Salad will allow you to still eat decent sized meals and not feel hungry, but reduce the number of “empty calories” you take in. This can be extremely beneficial, as most people's calorie intake is too high.


Lose Weight Tricks 4
If you have sugar in tea or coffee, try to cut down on the number of cups you drink. Many people find themselves routinely drinking five or six cups of coffee or tea a day, and if these have sugar in, you are taking in and extra couple of hundred calories you don't need. You can take these two hundred calories in a healthier form, or cut them out altogether to help you lose weight.


These lose weight tricks are simple, but effective. Apply them and you will surely see some positive results.

It's old news that exercising is the single best way to spark up your weight loss efforts. The activity perks up your metabolism, and eats up more calories. In addition, the more you exercise, the better the effect. Exercising builds muscle mass, which is denser and more compact than fat. That means your body has to expend more effort to pump blood through it, and it requires more nutrients to keep it healthy. The end result? Even at rest, your body naturally burns more calories.


Unfortunately, the prospect of exercising tends to elicit groans from most people. There's all the logistics to work out - the time, equipment, expense and the sheer, utter boringness of it all. Negative thinking about exercise can sabotage all your good intentions. Here's a list of answers for some of the most commonly used excuses not to exercise.


I don't have time to exercise!
Exercise could be one of the most important things you'll do for your health today. MAKE time to exercise. If you're doing traditional workouts - move those weights and mats right out into the family room and make use of your television time. Instead of flopping down in a chair while you watch the news or your favorite show, be active. Run in place, do leg lifts or heft weights. Use time in your car to tighten and tone muscles with isometric tummy tighteners. Walk up the stairs instead of using the elevator. Exercise doesn't have to be a solid hour at the gym. Anything that revs up your motors is great for your body.


I don't have the right equipment at home.
You don't need equipment to exercise. A brisk walk around the block is good for you - and burns over 200 calories. Vacuuming your carpets can burn nearly as much. Flip on your radio or pop in your favorite high-energy CD and dance. Don't fool yourself into thinking that your 'exercise' has to be a carefully planned workout to work all the right muscles in the right order with the right tension. Exercise means being active. Just do it.


I can't afford a membership to the gym.
If you'd rather exercise at the gym (and have access to their fitness machines, whirlpools, swimming pool and trainers), there are a lot of ways to make it more affordable. Check with your health insurance company to see if they offer incentives. Most of the major health insurance companies, including Blue Cross, cover part or all of fitness club memberships as part of your benefits. If yours doesn't, or if you don't have health insurance, call your local YMCA or YWCA. Most offer 'scholarships' or sliding fee scales for memberships to their facilities.


But exercise is such a chore!
Says who? Make getting your daily exercise fun. Play a game. Go dancing. Grab a few friends for a weekend hike in the state park. Exercise doesn't have to be routine. Stop thinking of it as a chore and start thinking of it as recreation. You'll be amazed what a difference it makes.

Life without emotions is like an empty canvass. Our life should have some color once in a while, or else life would be completely dull and boring. Emotions are so important in daily life. For that reason, human emotions have been the object of research and study for thousands of years. What has changed over the years has been the general approach to this investigation. For many years, researchers in psychology focused on what seemed to be rational and what could be directly observed through physiology. Hence, emotion was neglected as it was seen as more part of mind than body.

\tAll humans have basic emotional needs. These needs can be expressed as feelings, like the need to feel important, accepted, and respected. While all humans share these needs, each differs in the strength of the need, just as some of us need more water, more food, or more sleep. One person may need more freedom and independence, another may need more security and social connections. One may have a greater curiosity and greater need for understanding, while another is content to accept whatever he has been told.

\tUnlike physical health, many people including physicians have somehow neglected the importance of emotional stability. A person's emotional stability is vital in achieving overall health. Emotional stability contributes to the individual's sense of well-being. Without this, one can be prone to internal chaos, depression, despair, and isolation. In fact, emotional health influences other aspects of health such as physical, mental and social health.

\tStress leads to the release of certain chemicals to prepare us for action. When this is not required, these excessive chemical levels can cause damage to our body over time. Emotional issues may manifest themselves as illness. One very difficult form of stress to cope and manage is emotional stress. It is often self-created, it can come out of nowhere and the stress caused by it only heightens the emotions felt. As the emotional stress increases, the emotions get worse, heightening the emotional stress. Thus, the problem recreates the cause and the problem only gets worse.

\tEmotional stress is often triggered by a dramatic event that puts a person's nervous system under severe strain. This stress-inducing event could be losing a loved one, seeing someone die, ending a relationship, or being put into a life-threatening situation. These emotionally-charged occurences put a severe strain on a person's mind. The incredible strain can cause changes in the way that the brain works. In fact, a severe emotional strain could even cause someone to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

\tTherefore, maitaining emotional health is necessary to achieve optimum health. It requires a multi-dimensional approach. The various aspects of this approach may include counseling, anger management, meditation, and physical exercise. People should not be haunted by emotional stress. Instead, they should look and try to understand where it is coming from. There are various support groups and solutions that are easily accessible to help someone cope with emotional stress and illnesses. One should not dwell on negative feelings and emotions, which can only hamper the beauty of the different colors of life.

There are so many people promising to tell you how to lose weight fast, that it can be confusing. So much of the advice is contradictory, and there are many people who only have their own self interest at heart. It is certainly not easy to find the information you need. Here you will find out how to lose weight fast.

Lose Weight Fast Tip 1
Keep track of your weight. Weighing yourself weekly is not really going to give you an accurate enough picture of your progress. If you are really serious, it is much better to incorporate a daily weighing into your schedule. For maximum accuracy, try to weigh yourself as part of your routine, at the same time each day. Weighing yourself every day means there is nowhere to hide, you have got to face your progress, or lack of it, and deal with it honestly.

Lose Weight Fast Tip 2
Take a bit more exercise. Losing weight doesn't depend on extreme exercise programs, which can often be counter productive. Even if you just walk to the shops every day, it is still regular, consistent exercise. However small the amount of exercise you do, if you do it consistently, it will yield results. If you are burning calories you would not have burnt before, the only result can be weight loss.

Lose Weight Fast Tip 3
Be honest and realistic. You cannot lose weight by eating unhealthy food, and not burning it off. One or the other has to change. Although both eating healthy food and exercising is the most effective approach, if you are an exercise fanatic, you can lose weight with that alone. One side effect of this approach is that your muscles will be stronger, and have a better tone. You will be able to eat more food without putting on excess weight, so long as you exercise hard. Taking in more calories doesn't lead to obesity if you're burning them off again.

Lose Weight Fast Tip 4
Use a slendertone machine. These are machines which you strap to your body, which exercise your muscles with no real effort from you. Whenever you are in sedentary mode, such as when watching your favorite TV shows, you can take advantage of modern technology and still be working your body. This means that you don't have to give up your favorite lazy pastime, you can enjoy it and still exercise!

Consistency is the key to effective weight loss. Small but often is far more effective than an unsustainable over enthusiastic burst followed by a let down. Keep at it and you will get where you want to go.

A lot of us live our lives like penned animals. Built to move, too often we put ourselves in a cage. We have bodies designed for racing across the savannas, but we live a lifestyle designed for migrating from the bed to the breakfast table; to the car seat; to the office chair; to the restaurant booth; to the living room couch and back to the bed.

It was not always this way. Not long ago in the United States, a man who worked on a farm did the equivalent of 15 miles of jogging every day; and his wife did the equivalent of 7 miles of jogging.

Today, our daily obligations of work and home keep us tied to our chairs, and if we want exercise, we have to seek it out.

In fact, health experts insist that obesity problem is probably caused at least as much by lack of physical activity as by eating too much. Hence, it is important that people need to move around.

However, that does not mean that a lap or two around the old high school track will offset a daily dose of donuts. Exercise alone is not very efficient, experts say. They contend that if you just exercise and do not change your diet, you may be able to prevent weight gain or even lose a few pounds for a while.

Nevertheless, it is not something that you are likely to sustain unless exercise is part of an overall program. The more regularly you exercise, the easier it is to maintain your weight. Here is what to do every day to make sure that you get the exercise you need.

1. Get quality Zzzs.

Make sure that you get adequate sleep. Good sleep habits are conducive to exercise, experts point out. If you feel worn out during the day, you are less likely to get much physical activity during the day.

In addition, there is evidence that people who are tired tend to eat more, using food as a substance for the rest they need.

2. Walk the walk.

It is probably the easiest exercise program of all. In fact, it may be all you ever have to do, according to some professional advices of some health experts.

Gradually build up to at least 30 minutes of brisk walking five times a week. Brisk walks themselves have health and psychological benefits that are well worth the while.

3. Walk the treadmill.

When the weather is bad, you might not feel like going outdoors. But if you have a treadmill in the television room, you can catch up on your favorite shows while you are doing your daily good turn for your weight-maintenance plan.

Most of us watch television anyway, and indoor exercise equipment enables anyone to turn a sedentary activity into a healthy walk.

4. Seize the time.

Excuses aside, lack of time is certainly a limiting factor in most lifestyles. That is why health experts suggest a basic guideline for incorporating exercise into your schedule.

Get as much exercise as you can that feels good without letting it interfere with your work or family life. If you need to, remind yourself that you are preventing many health problems when you prevent weight gain; and keeping your health is a gift to your family as well as yourself.

Here is a list of 10 negitive situations with a positive twist.

​Im Late for work.
Atleast you got more sleep.

I got Rejected by someone i like.
Atleast you can move on.

I just got robbed!
Atleast you helped someone in need.

I got into a fight.
Trainning for the hunger games!

I lost my car keys
Atleast you'll get fit.

I lost at a game of pool.
You came second.

No body takes me seriously
Be a comedian

I drank too much
Atleast you won't remember it.

I'm lost.
Atleast you have some time alone.

The glass is half empty!
The glass is half full.

The pressures of daily life can be daunting, and with demanding careers and raising a family, working out is probably the last thing on your mind at the end of a busy day. However, physical fitness can benefit you in more ways than you think.

Being physically fit is not only about conquering marathons in record time and not only about looking your best on the beach -- even though looking your best is always a bonus. Being physically fit can help you live a longer, more fulfilling life, it can benefit your body, your self-esteem and help you deal with the stresses of daily life.

Isn’t it ironic how you always manage to find the time to watch TV, time to catch up on your favorite program or the time to get together with friends? Yet when it comes to going to gym or getting physical, you can easily come up with at least 10 different reasons why you’re either too busy or just don’t have the time to break a sweat.

Making fitness part of your life should be a priority in everyone’s life -- it should become a daily habit, the same as brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Setting aside one hour of your day isn’t much to ask when you take into account all the positive things you achieve just by being physically fit.

Apart from looking and feeling good, working out can benefit you in the following areas as well:

• Help to relieve stress, depression and anxiety
• Increase your ability to concentrate, think faster and become more sharp
• Help reduce blood pressure
• Lower the risk of developing colon cancer
• Keep your heart healthy and reduce the risk of heart disease
• Help with gaining muscle, which can build and maintain strong bones
• Increase flexibility, which can help prevent injury and help with muscular tension.

So next time you put off going to the gym, stop and think about all the benefits you’re missing out on. Just 30 minutes to an hour of physical fitness a day can be a major health investment. And remember you don’t have to be in a gym to be fit. You can enjoy fitness with your kids, your spouse, family or friends by coming up with fun, physical activities such as going for walks, swimming, mountain biking, hiking or playing golf to mention a few.

GET A PLAN
There are many great fitness plans out there that can help you get into shape and enjoy fitness, but there are also many scams that promise you the world and don’t deliver. If you have spare cash on hand, get in touch with a personal trainer at your gym and take up a few sessions or visit a biokinetisist who will help you with your goals. You can also browse the Internet for reputable sites for information.

KICK START YOUR FITNESS PLAN
If you’re a beginner into the world of fitness, ease into a routine by starting off slowly and gradually increase your endurance level. If you go all out on the first day, chances are you’ll burn out and overwork yourself to the extent that you’ll be put off fitness forever. If you’re a newbie, also remember that it takes time to get into a fitness routine and the only way to reach your ideal level is be consistent and stick with the program.

MAKE TIME
The best way to ensure that you avoid the excuses-zone is to make a habit of getting your workouts done first thing in the morning. Set your alarm to wake up an hour earlier, get to the gym and from there, you can shower and head for work. By doing your workout in the morning you are more likely to put it off later due to tiredness (or laziness), plus research has shown that you burn more fat if you do your cardio sessions first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.