A Rutherglen mum who transformed her life by losing six stones and dropping half-a-dozen dress sizes is helping others to change their lives and achieve their weight loss dreams.

Aleksandra Lennon, 39, weighed 17st 5lbs when she joined her local Slimming World group in January 2013.

She has since shed six stones, ditched her size 22 clothing, and is now wearing a slimline size 10.

And her amazing weight loss gave her the confidence to become a Slimming World consultant in October 2016 when she opened her first group in Cambuslang, helping members to lose weight every week.

This was quickly followed by her second and third group.

On Friday, she is opening her fourth group in Cambuslang at the Baptist Church in Cadzow Drive at 9.30am.

Aleksandra, who is mum to seven-year-old daughter Maya, said: Obesity is becoming such a huge issue across the UK.

When I first joined Slimming World, I never dreamed that I would end up helping other people to lose weight.

Its a privilege for me to be able to pass on the experience, insight and understanding that helped me, so that I can give my members the support they need to get to target. Support is really the most important thing. It all starts with feeling youre not alone. I couldnt have lost six stones without the weekly help of my consultant and group.

Aleksandra, who supports more than 200 members every week, says setting targets, sharing recipes and working together to overcome challenges and celebrate success is so important.

She continued: Like a lot of slimmers, I had tried to lose weight so many times before by following numerous diets but they were never sustainable because Id always get tired of restricting what I ate.

I thought that I was destined to struggle with my weight for the rest of my life, but when I came to Slimming World it was different.

I couldnt believe Id found a way to lose weight without starving myself.

Linda Parrott, who runs Slimming Worlds group at The Sun Inn and manages Aleksandra as a team developer, said: With Aleksandras experience of being a successful Slimming World consultant and her kind and warm personality and great sense of humour, I just know that she will continue to be an amazing support to members, cheering them all the way to their target weight.

Aleksandras other groups are: Monday, Kings Park Hotel, Mill Street, Rutherglen, 9.30 am and 11.30am; Thursday 9.30am, 5.30pm and 7.30pm also held in the Baptist Church. For more call Aleksandra on 07731456808 or just pop in to a group.

More here:
Rutherglen mum tells of her amazing weight loss journey - Daily Record

Could I lose weight in six weeks on this home delivered meal plan?

BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

All I wanted to lose was a few pounds - but between the demands of work and kids and life, I was struggling to find the time to prep healthy meals and the motivation to stay on track.

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All I wanted to lose was a few pounds - but between the demands of work and kids and life, I was struggling to find the time to prep healthy meals and the motivation to stay on track.

That's why I decided to try the Jane Plan, an eating plan where every meal is delivered to your door, removing at least some of the effort and temptation to stray.

I followed it for six weeks and this is how it went...

What is the Jane Plan?

After an initial phone consultation with a nutritionist, a calorie-controlled diet is worked out for you, based on how much weight you'd like to lose, your current weight, height, BMI and what you do for a living (ie, if you're a stay-at-home mum running around after three little ones, you'll be burning more calories than a 9-5 office worker).

You can head to the website to order all your food, so you only pick out the dishes you think you'll like, or you can sign up to a package.

Because my job involves a lot of sitting at a desk, I am only 5ft 2in and I don't have masses to lose, my eating plan is going to be quite tough, with a fairly low calorie count.

For me, this might be okay, and every person on the plan converses with their own nutritionist - but it's always worth speaking to a doctor before embarking on a diet change.

Day one

I quickly realise this is going to be tough. Breakfast is granola, berries and yogurt, which is what I often eat in the morning, but there's about half the amount I would ordinarily scoff. I scrape every last bit and still want more, but manage to hold off for a couple of hours until my mid-morning fruit snack.

For lunch, I've chosen a couscous salad. I learn the hard way it's best to prepare your lunch at home, rather than grabbing one of the ready-made packages and shoving it in your bag. You're allowed to add veg to it, which helps fill you up, and seasoning - which you'll need. It also means you can give it a good stir about and make it look more inviting than the sometimes congealed offering that awaits once you peel back the lid.

Once again, it didn't feel like it was enough and I end up eating my very delicious oat bar snack come 2pm. But even though that looks a good size, I was hankering after dinner for hours. I later find out that this 'snack' is actually a breakfast. Oops. My fault for not reading the information thoroughly...

I don't get home from work until late, and often end up eating around 8.30pm, which makes this healthy eating plan really difficult. But I scoff my lasagne with a side of veggies and manage to decline the G&T my other half is enjoying.

What's the food like?

The dishes are okay. There isn't a single meal I've raved about, but this is healthy food for the masses, so you're unlikely to be overexcited by them. As a vegetarian, my favourite is a lunch of chilli with beans and rice. It's small but tasty, and nicely beefed out with broccoli, peas and sweetcorn.

What's good about it?

The big plus is that everything is done for you. Prepping is needed but it is minimal.

They have also thought of lots of extras. You can order 'partner meals' (which are the same size!), so it's less antisocial, which I think is a really good idea. Although in practice, my other half refused more often than not. And you can also do 'weekends off'. This is something that sort of naturally ended up happening to me anyway, but it still absolutely works, which is hugely encouraging.

Results

It's safe to say I fell at many hurdles during my six weeks on the Jane Plan.

The day I did a 35-minute weighted Joe Wicks workout, I felt so light-headed, I had to grab extra snacks. On week one, I snuck chocolates, went gin tasting, had the entire weekend off plan and generally did pretty badly. However, I still tried to do a decent amount of exercise to balance things out, and managed to lose three-quarters of a pound, which I'm actually very happy with.

My level of cheating and result on the scales was the same in week two and in the weeks after, which just goes to show it is possible to have fun and gradually lose a little bit of weight at the same time.

In total, I lost around 5lb in six weeks, which met my personal goal and I'm really happy with it.

Overall verdict

This eating plan isn't easy. The Jane Plan website says most of their diets average 1,200 calories a day, which can be tough to stick to, though it could be more depending on the person.

It isn't cheap, either. You can choose a one, three or four-month plan, starting at 199 per month (though look out for deals online at janeplan.com). It does include all your food except add-ins, like milk, fruit and veggies, so your shopping bill will obviously be considerably less.

On the other hand, with my modifications, it worked for me. The option to have the weekend off was a lifesaver - and would have made it more of a long term option had I wanted it.

There are weekly check-in phone calls with your consultant, so you can ask questions, query anything you're not sure about or get some encouragement. For anyone who's time-poor and needs a helping hand motivation-wise, this could be worth a try.

A doctor's verdict

GP for MedExpress Dr Clare Morrison says: "Cutting calories will generally lead to weight loss, at least in the short term, so it's not surprising that this sort of weight-loss plan can be successful. Limiting calories through portion control, while eating the same food as the rest of the family, will also achieve weight loss.

"In the longer term, good health requires a consistently well balanced diet, with plenty of fibre, vitamins, and the right amount of protein, fat and unrefined carbohydrate. Refined carbs such as sugar and white flour, should be kept to a minimum. It's also important to keep active, ideally doing 30 minutes of exercise (such as a brisk walk) every day.

"If you have any doubt about a weight loss plan, do check with your GP first, particularly if you have a chronic health condition, such as diabetes or a food intolerance."

For more information, visit http://www.janeplan.com

Belfast Telegraph

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Could I lose weight in six weeks on this home delivered meal plan? - Belfast Telegraph

Losing over 100 pounds in a year may sound almost impossible, but it's Jeffrey Hadley's reality.

Jeffrey Hadley lost over 100 pounds and took charge of his health.

Credit: Jeffrey Hadley/LIVESTRONG.com Creative

The 50-year-old landscaper from Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, topped 270 pounds four years ago, when a health scare that landed him in the hospital for almost a week served as a wake-up call. He was discharged with a diagnosis of adult-onset asthma, COPD, high blood pressure and a determination to change.

Today, at 160 pounds, his health issues have vanished, and he's never looked or felt better. Here's his amazing story, in his own words.

Most of my life, I'd never had a weight problem. I worked as a landscaper, an active job that easily burned 10,000 calories a day. As a result, I could pretty much eat anything I wanted.

But in 2013, I got promoted to general manager at my company, a desk job that didn't involve much activity. I kept on eating the same way, though, and within a couple years I'd gained 100 pounds. The more weight I gained, the more sedentary I became, and over the months I noticed I was becoming winded doing relatively easy activities like walking across the room.

"A little lightbulb went off in my head and I realized that my health problems were most likely due to my being so overweight."

Then, in 2015, I ended up in the hospital for six days because I was having so much trouble breathing. My oxygen levels were hovering around 80 (normal is between 95 and 100). I ended up on oxygen 24/7 with constant nebulizer treatments and three inhalers. The doctors diagnosed me with adult-onset asthma, COPD and hypertension.

On my fifth day there, one of the physicians who came in to see me began asking me a lot of questions about my diet and exercise habits. Before he walked out, he turned to me and said, 'You know, if you just lose some weight, all of this would stop.'

A little lightbulb went off in my head and I realized that my health problems were most likely due to my being so overweight.

I was released the next day. The first thing I did when I got back home was to research the term 'clean eating.' I learned that all the processed foods like pizza and calzones that were the staples of my diet were loaded with calories, added sugars and chemicals that had caused all my weight gain.

In the beginning, I just ate a ton of fruit and veggies, some meat and eggs and lots and lots of chicken. I cut out starches like bread and processed food as much as possible.

Breakfast was usually eggs, oatmeal and fruit, while lunch and dinner were usually some type of lean protein paired with fruit and veggies. I only let myself snack on fruits and veggies.

I'm single and don't have much time or space to cook, but even when I ate out I focused on healthier choices: Instead of my usual cheesesteak, for example, I'd have plain chicken.

The weight came off fairly quickly, and I think it's because I had been overeating so much. I'd order a family-style Stromboli entre at work, for example, and end up eating it all myself. I was consuming a ton of food without even realizing it.

Did you know that keeping a food diary is one of the most effective ways to manage your weight? Download the MyPlate app to easily track calories, stay focused and achieve your goals!

It was tough at first, because although I wasn't really physically hungry, I was so used to snacking all day that it felt like a real void. I bought a motorcycle and went on a ride every day as my "reward" for clean eating.

While he was losing weight, Jeffrey rewarded himself for eating well by taking his new motorcycle for a spin.

Credit: Jeffrey Hadley

When I first got home from the hospital, I was in bad shape. I was 270 pounds with a 48-inch stomach and I was barely able to climb three steps without getting out of breath. Just walking to the bathroom required a rescue inhaler. I knew if I wanted to lose weight, though, I had to become physically active.

I asked a friend who owned a kickboxing gym what I could do that would get me moving while being easy on my body. She told me to just walk. So that's exactly what I did.

At the beginning, I couldn't walk two steps without having to use my inhaler. It would take me an hour to walk a quarter mile. But I refused to quit, and as the weight came off, it became easier and easier.

Within a couple months, I was walking 2 to 3 miles a day, until I eventually worked up to 10 miles a day. Now, I regularly run 5Ks.

The medical problems that landed me in the hospital asthma and hypertension have vanished. It turns out all my excess stomach fat had been crushing my lungs and my heart.

"At the beginning, I couldn't walk two steps without having to use my inhaler. Now, I regularly run 5Ks."

Consistency was key for me. I never did cheat days, or cheat meals, or even cheat snacks. I made sure I was 100-percent dedicated to what I was doing. It wasn't easy I'm normally a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of guy.

I decided to keep everything very basic, with five main food staples: veggies, fruit, chicken, rice and eggs. I swear, I ate scrambled eggs with chicken every morning for a year, but I needed to keep it simple.

As time went on, I tried different diet programs, like keto and intermittent fasting, but I found them very restrictive and hard to stick to long term. I felt I was more successful if I followed what I dubbed JERF, or Just Eat Real Food!

The first piece of advice I'd offer to others who are looking to lose weight is to simply cut out processed food. If it comes in a bag or a box, it's probably not good for you. I found I was more satisfied and naturally ate less if I just focused on fresh, real food.

Secondly, focus less on the scale and more on how your clothes fit and how you feel.

After I'd lost about 70 pounds, I decided it was time to start going to the gym. That was tough, because I'd never lifted weights before. I was scared to death. Again, I decided to keep it simple: the first time I went, I used three machines, and that was it.

But as I gained confidence and began using more machines (and lifting heavier weights) I realized that while my stomach was getting smaller and my shirts were fitting better, my scale wasn't moving as much anymore. I was losing fat, but replacing it with muscle.

I gauge my progress now by how my clothes fit. At my heaviest, I wore a triple-extra-large shirt. Now, I easily can slip into a medium.

More here:
'I Lost 100 Pounds in a Year by Walking and Cutting Processed Foods' - LIVESTRONG.COM

Every day in the NBA there is a lot to unpack, so every weekday morning throughout the season we will give you the three things you need to know from the last 24 hours in the NBA.

1) Vanessa Bryant, Lakers share their pain with the loss of Kobe. Understandably, it has taken time for the family of Kobe Bryant and the Lakers organization to make any statements on the death of Kobe, his daughter Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash last Sunday.

Wednesday that started to happen.

First, Laker coach Frank Vogel spoke to the media.

Its just strengthened what weve felt all year about our current group, which is weve become a family in a very short time. And its something you talk about in the NBA with your teams, but this group in particular has really grown to love each other very rapidly. And we understand the importance and the opportunity that we have this year, and this has just brought us closer together.

Later, Vanessa Bryant Kobes wife and Giannas mother made her first public comments since the tragedy, posting on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

My girls and I want to thank the millions of people whove shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband,Kobe the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There arent enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigiboth knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon. Im not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and its impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless and thats to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever. Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality. To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy.To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Giannas legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org. Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me. #Mamba #Mambacita #GirlsDad #DaddysGirls #Family

A post shared by Vanessa Bryant (@vanessabryant) on Jan 29, 2020 at 4:59pm PST

Near the end of the day, the Lakers organization released a statement.

The Lakers will take the court for the first time Friday night at Staples Center against Portland.

The emotion of the loss of Kobe is still washing over the league. That was best evidenced by Kyrie Irvings emotional postgame comments after the Nets beat the Pistons.

A couple of things to note. First, the NBA will not be changing the leagues logo to Kobe. Second, the investigation into the cause of the crash continues.

2) Damian Lillard gets his first career triple-double and does it in front of his nemesis, Russell Westbrook. I had two thoughts as I watched Lillard get that first triple-double.

First, he didnt have one already? Technically I knew he didnt, but it just felt like he must have done this already (same with Kawhi Leonard getting his first recently).

Second, of course he did it in front of Russell Westbrook. At this point, the smack-talking Westbrook may not want to ever speak around Lillard again, it just brings out the best in Dame.

Lillard had 36 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds against the Rockets his first career triple-double, which sparked the Blazers to a 125-112 win.

James Harden returned after missing two games with a thigh bruise but his slump continued, scoring 18 points on 5-of-18 shooting. Russell Westbrook scored 39 points, extending his streak of games with 20+ points to 21 games.

3) Knicks fans are frustrated and they should be. Knicks scuffle at the end of the game, Marcus Morris then sticks foot in mouth. I get what Knicks fans are feeling. I am a supporter of Newcastle United in the Premiere League and I would put that team owner, Mike Ashley, up against any crappy owner in any sport (short of the insanely high bar Donald Sterling set back in the day). My Newcastle fandom allows me some insight and empathy. I know what its like to helplessly watch a lack of organizational direction, seeing what should be lesser organizations thrive while you tread water (at best), I get the losing wears fans down.

Meaning, I understand the fans chanting sell the team at Knicks owner James Dolan as he left New Yorks loss to Memphis on Wednesday night.

It was a rough night for the Knicks and their fans. First, New York was blown out at home by the Memphis Grizzlies 127-106. (Credit to the Grizzlies, who 11-3 in January and improve to .500, sitting as the eighth seed in the West.) This loss carried weight because both of these teams are supposed to be rebuilding, but only one seems to be on a path back to relevance soon.

Then it got ugly. With less than a minute to go and the game decided, Memphis Jae Crowder stole a lazy pass from Julius Randle, then decided to keep playing hard and jacked up a corner three rather than dribble out the clock. Crowder kept on playing hard. New Yorks Elfrid Payton took exception to that, ran over and shoved Crowder to the floor. Crowder bounced back up and went at Payton, and then others jumped in and what passes for a fight in the NBA was on.

Payton and Crowder were ejected, as was New Yorks Marcus Morris for being the third man in. Payton can expect a suspension from the league for his sore-loser act and him not remorseful after the game will not bring leniency from the league office.

Then after the game, Morris stuck his foot in his mouth when asked about Crowder.

Come on, this is not Mad Men era basketball. You cant say that. Frankly, if the Knicks played with the fight of most players in the WNBA theyd have more than 13 wins this season. Morris backed away from those comments and quickly apologized.

Expect the league office to hand down suspensions and fines in the next 48 hours.

BONUS THING TO KNOW: Victor Oladipo returned to the Pacers, hit shot to force overtime. Oladipo was back. The former All-NBA player had missed most of a year with a right quad tendon rupture, but he was back on the floor for the Pacers on Wednesday, and he was making plays. That includes hitting the three that forced overtime.

Indiana is in that tight bunch between 2-6 in the East (where 2.5 games separate five teams) and if Oladipo can get his legs under him and his form if he can blend in with Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis Indiana might be able to break out of that pack and do some damage in the playoffs.

See the original post:
Three Things to Know: Vanessa Bryant, Lakers share their pain with loss of Kobe - NBCSports.com

Are you trying to lose weight and find all the new fad diets confusing to sift through? Are you unsure which one to try and whether it will be effective for you? Then youve come to the right place! We will outline some of the most famous fad diets below and discuss whether they are effective or not.

The Paleo diet is based on what cavemen ate thousands of years ago using knowledge about hunter-gatherers and the foods that were available to them. The type of products that arent allowed on this diet include grains, legumes, and dairy. While it may be impossible to eat the exact foods that cavemen ate thousands of years ago, this diet has been shown to remove the processed food often found in the typical American diet.

Those following the Paleo diet tend to eat more plant-based and animal-based foods. Research shows that those on the Paleo diet have lost an average of 10 pounds in five weeks as well as lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Time-restricted diets involve a type of intermittent fast where people restrict the time of day that they eat. Essentially, this means people on a time-restricted feeding diet eat within a time frame of four to ten hours.

Research has shown that people on these diets tend to lose weight. You will want to talk with your doctor about a diet that is too restrictive or requires fasting. If your doctor gives you the okay, then go ahead and try it!

If you want to try out a 12-hour or a 16-hour fast, the Lifeapps.io website provides great information on the process of fasting as well as a fasting tracker app that will help you stick to a time-restricted feeding diet.

The mono diet limits your food choices to one food group every day. For example, this means you may only be able to eat meat/protein on Monday, dairy on Tuesday, grains and carbohydrates on Wednesday, fruit on Thursday, and vegetables on Friday.

The mono diet is something you should avoid. This diet has no scientific background and no research has backed it up. While it may lead to weight loss because of the food limitations, which may make you sick of that particular food more quickly, the mono diet lacks the nutrition our bodies crave.

If you followed this diet over a long-term period, you will definitely have vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Please avoid the mono diet for your health.

The Atkins diet includes four stages including a two-week induction phase where dieters can only have 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Unlimited amounts of fat and protein are allowed, however. During this period, the human body is expected to turn fat into its main source of energy instead of utilizing carbohydrates.

After the two-week induction phase, dieters are then allowed to introduce carbohydrates back into their diet in 5-gram increments. This helps those on the Atkins diet determine their optimal level of carbohydrates to help them lose weight and keep the weight off. Research has shown that people following the Atkins diet lost more weight than those trying out other diets.

We hope that this list of prominent fad diets gives you an idea of the type of diet that is best for you. Pick the one you like best and get started!

Go here to see the original:
Breaking Down The Top Four Fad Diets - seattlepi.com

The average man does a lot to stay fit and healthy but oftentimes its simply not enough. Some habits have the potential to harm you, exacerbate an annoying condition, or cause injury.

Men are less likely to visit a healthcare professional, and that certainly complicates matters a lot. According to an Orlando Health survey, 81% of men easily remember their first car, but barely half can recall the last time they visited a doctor.

So men not only actively ignore their health but also dont like visiting the doctor when something does go wrong an immensely careless attitude towards their wellbeing.

Of course, we dont want you to be afraid of living your life to the fullest, but it is essential to reiterate the importance of a fit lifestyle and healthy habits to improve your everyday life.

The fact of the matter is that, man or not, many of us are just living our lives on autopilot in fact, according to a news by Harvard, we spend 46.9% of our time thinking about things that are inconsequential to our progress. This mind-wandering is often a cause for unhappiness that leads to unhealthy attitudes.

Let us highlight five ways you may be hurting your health unknowingly. Pay attention to these tiny details and try to look at things with a fresh perspective.

Lets get started:

If your head is shaved, skip to the next point. Otherwise, read on.

Hairstylists and skin specialists agree that shampooing your hair every day, or even every other day, is bad for your scalp.

The trouble is that men often wash their hair more than they need to. This removes important oils from the scalp leaving it dry and the hair brittle. Mens hair is usually thicker and curlier than womens it can go without washing for 2 to 3 days at a time.

Dry scalp goes into overdrive to make up for the lost oils and produces more oil than before. This is why men often feel like their hair isnt clean, no matter how much they shampoo. This results in a never-ending cycle that only irritates their scalps further.

Experts recommend shampooing no more than three times a week to ensure that your hair doesnt get too greasy too fast. This way, your scalp will also be able to reserve more of its natural oil, which, of course, is healthy.

Men dont really discuss their underwear with the doctor, but perhaps you should.

Your underwear is the second layer of clothing that is supposed to protect the groin area from chaffing and irritation, while also keeping your package safe.

However, many of us are guilty of wearing undies or briefs made from potentially abrasive material, and that can result in chaffing you might also risk irritating boys when you go commando. Tight briefs not only hurt the skin down there but may even lower fertility, so if you are trying to get the lady pregnant, stick to loose-fitting and cooling boxers

The good news is that you could always invest in mens cooling underwear that is designed to be very gently on this sensitive part of your body.

Men are notorious for eating meat there is nothing like a Southern barbeque to get most of us excited.

But its time you learned to keep an eye on your protein intake. Experts say that overdosing on protein can cause dehydration and loss of calcium, so its awful for your kidneys.

And in the long run, this can lead to weight gain because the body cant process all the protein you are eating, so it starts storing it. According to healthline, we are not supposed to have more than 0.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight, every day thats the minimum daily average recommended by health specialists.

If you are exceptionally fit and exercise more than the average male, you could get away with consuming up to 1.7 grams of protein per kg of body weight every day.

Men who drink too much coffee are at the risk of damaging their fertility.

Many Americans rely on three to five solid shots of coffee to help them get through the day but the Federal Drug Authority (FDA) puts the cap on up to 400 mg a day, which is roughly 4 cups of coffee.

So why all this hoopla about overdosing on caffeine?

Well, for starters, it is essential to understand that coffee is just ONE source of caffeine one can of cola has 50 mg of it, and energy drinks can give you to 250mg of caffeine in one serving.

So unknowingly, we gulp down up to 1200 mg of caffeine in a day this increases blood pressure, causes anxiety, and even boosts the risk of heart disease, in addition to causing fertility issues.

In 2018, Fox News host Pete Hegseth confessed in front of millions, that he hadnt washed his hands in over a decade!

He says he cant see germs, so they arent a real thing a sentiment echoed by many men around the world who are just too lazy to pick up the soap.

If you regularly wash your hands after finishing up in the toilet, pat yourself on the back.

Now, honestly think about this do you also wash up after taking the public transit, shaking hands with others, working on your office computer, handling equipment at the gym, or before sitting down for a meal?

Be careful of your hygiene, so you dont get sick and safeguard the health of others around you as well.

Remember, if you greet babies and the elderly with dirty hands, you can harm them severely they just dont have the power to fight off diseases. Even something as innocuous as flu can be deadly to them CDC reported that more than 80,000 people died from common flu in 2017-2018.

It is possible that many of those deaths could have been prevented had those people not been exposed to the virus, something proper handwashing could help with. So stay clean and well-groomed at all times.

A study by psycnet on the Psychology of Men & Masculinity found out that masculinity is negatively correlated to a willingness to improve health.

Sure, a man whos rough around the edges with a charming vibe or two is irresistible to the ladies, but carelessness is never a good look on anyone.

So take care of the social niceties discussed above you owe yourself and the world at large this much at least.

Originally posted here:
Healthy Man Is A Happy Man: 5 Things You Are Not Doing Right - RecentlyHeard.com

Communicating has never been so easy; we can to send messages and texts to friends and strangers in an instant from a variety of platforms. You would think this would affect the world of bathroom scrawling, but people are still driven to those grubby walls to document their exploits, spill their secrets and carry on covert conversations. The art of toilet graffiti or latrinalia is certainly not dead.

While using the toilet is a private activity, writing in stalls is a social act. Its a unique form of silent conversation intended for same-sex audiences. As such, the words and pictures on bathroom walls can provide a unique window into the differences in communication patterns between the sexes. And, as I found out through my ongoing exploratory study, graffiti can tell us just how important toilet walls can be as supportive spaces for women.

Given the sex-segregated nature of restrooms, most studies highlight the differences in latrinalia in mens and ladies rooms. It is suggested that mens bathroom have more graffiti portraying sexual acts and sexual organs, homosexuality, politics, and insults. Not only are they allegedly more aggressive, competitive, and negative, they tended to be less tolerant of opposing views.

On the other hand, womens restroom graffiti is said to contain fewer writings on sex or sexual acts, with more themes of personal relationship, religion and philosophy. They are more positive, more supportive, cooperative and open towards opposing points of view. They are also more conversational, with thoughtful replies to posts and requests for advice.

That women use the restroom walls to create a space for solidarity and community has been noted by researchers. This makes sense when we consider that women socialise in toilets even just to ask each others opinion about hair or makeup.

I collected photos of toilet stall graffiti over seven months from a mens and a womens restroom at a Scottish university. The toilets are located in the students computing centre. What I found was partly confirmed in previous studies. The women outwrote the men; their graffiti was generally relationship-oriented and supportive.

There was a dearth of graffiti in the mens toilet except for a few taggings. I counted more than 120 inscriptions in the ladies toilet and less than five in the mens. In the mens they were declarative sentences or directives, which did not invite conversation. One stall did contain an interactive piece that asked visitors to rate your shit. It was responded to with a myriad of insults, expletives and a sense of competitiveness about their faeces. This is why I decided to focus on the womens restroom.

Of the five stalls in the womens toilet, graffiti was initially concentrated in the one closest to the door. The two most popular conversations were about coming out and depression/stress:

There were other replies to the coming out post:

Is there somehow we could meet and talk to you. Ive the same problem

Im out to like 3 people in my fam. Im here for this group

Same dont know how to do it

The perfect time wouldnt come on its own. You have to make the moment perfect.

The second most common theme was that of advice giving or asking about depression and stress:

Other posts in the womens stall concern weight loss, favourite songs, feelings about the university, politics and instructions on bodily functions.

An unexpected finding that has not been discussed in previous studies is just how sacred these spaces can be for women. When the graffiti wall was painted over at the start of the term, there was a backlash from the women.

After several defiant posts about losing their wall, the women quickly reconstructed it with a barrage of posts such as viva la wall and cant wait for this to be filled up again. Weeks later, when they ran out of writing space, a wall of support volume 2 was erected in another stall in the same toilet, this time the one farthest from the entrance.

Quickly, this wall of support vol 2 filled up with encouraging and motivational inscriptions such as wishing everyone love and support throughout uni, hang in there, and Im honoured to say Ive shared a toilet with you lovely ladies.

While other studies have suggested that women use toilet graffiti to build solidarity, this exploratory study provides evidence of how this social space is constructed.

This safe space does not seem to easily reveal itself but unfolds over time as people engage with it. Indeed, if universities are to be more responsive to the unexpressed needs of their students that might be socially unpopular they might want to check the loo for secrets. Then again, this might threaten the safety and sacredness the space offers.

Toilet graffiti merits academic study as a form of hybrid communication intimate, solitary and yet social; defiant in its vandalism and yet sacred to those who engage in it.

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Toilet graffiti: secrets, support and solidarity in the womens restroom - The Conversation UK