Cindy Crawford looks good

Former supermodel Cindy Crawford continues to find work in modeling despite being 43 years old, just like other ex-supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Kate Moss, all three women examples of how older celebrity models continue to look good and find work. While 38-year old Claudia Schiffer was featured on the cover of Vogue Magazine, 43-year old Cindy Crawford did a photo shoot for Allure Magazine.

And now the Daily Mail reports that the professional photo shoot for Cindy Crawford was not digitally enhanced or airbrushed. And with no make-up, stylists, or artificial lighting to highlight her curves and give definition to her lithe muscles, Cindy Crawford looked just as good in real life as she did in the studio photo shoot. As proof they took candid photos of Cindy, in red shorts and a black tank top, on the beach in Malibu (below right) and compared it to her Allure photo.



In the Allure photo shoot, for the anti-aging issue of the magazine, Cindy tears up a loaf of white bread to show that it is bad for health. "I think I look pretty good for 43, but I don't look the way I did when I was 23," Crawford said in the accompanying interview. She also admitted she has cellulite. "I do, and I never said I didn't. I've had two kids and I'm 43, so leave me alone!" she said.

Cindy told the magazine that the body parts she took the most care of were her hands and neck. Crawford has been married to Rande Gerber and is the mother of two children, Presley Walker and Kaia Jordan. Famous also for her workout videos, Crawford made one just 3 months after giving birth to her first child! Cindy was the first fashion model to pose topless for Playboy Magazine and has no regrets for making that risky move.


Cindy was also known as a "voluptuous model" and this photo from 1989 shows off her ample curves. What's changed 20 years later is that those curves have been replaced by a thin but athletic frame. Cindy Crawford's fitness regimen includes strength training, Pilates, cardio work and Kundalini Yoga.

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Kissing is healthy kissing is fun

Kissing is a very intimate act for girls. The lips have a large number of nerve-endings and a very thin membrane, making them 100 times more sensitive than finger tips. The effect of kissing can be electric! Girls give importance to smooth, soft lips for kissing and are turned off by dry or cracked lips in their partners. Kissing is so important for the female sex that women are able to tell if a guy is genetically suitable for a relationship by the quality of his first kiss.

First kisses are memorable experiences.......Taylor Swift sang about her first kiss! The science of kissing is called philematology although scientists are still not sure how it all began. There are theories that kissing may have evolved from breast-feeding or from caveman-era mothers chewing food and giving it to their babies.

Kissing is healthy. The nerve-endings in the lips trigger a reaction from the brain which releases feel-good endorphins. Kissing also increases the heart-rate, dilates the blood vessels and reduces stress. 30 facial muscles are used in working the lips during kissing, which burns 26 calories in one minute. There are more chances of catching an infection from shaking hands than from kissing. In fact only certain types of mouth ulcers, like canker sores, can be passed on through kissing.



Although this couple have tilted their heads left, most people tilt their heads to the right when kissing. Some other statistics: according to a Canadian study 97% of women close their eyes while kissing compared to only 37% of men. Most people have their first kiss before the age of 14. Women keep measuring the health of their relationships from the frequency and duration of the kisses from their men.

Girls are okay with locking lips, and with gently biting or sucking on them. Boys want wet kisses, exchanging saliva and using their tongues. But unless you clean your tongue and keep it pink and healthy don't go jabbing it into your girlfriend's mouth. And never on the first few kisses! Bad breath comes from a dirty tongue and is a major turn-off for kissing.

Kissing is not just about romance and relationships; it is a way of showing love and affection, of social bonding. We kiss out pets and we kiss our family members. Hugging and kissing on the cheeks is a non-sexual way of sharing love between family members:



Gorgeous Israeli model Bar Refaeli gets a smooch on the cheek from her older brother Neal.

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Female ski jumpers ignored

Girls skiing continues to struggle for equality in the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The first women's ski jumping World Cup, was held in the Czech Republic last month, and female ski jumpers want the IOC to reconsider its 2006 decision to bar them from the 2010 Games. Previously the IOC has used the excuse, that women's ski jumping doesn't have enough international competitions, to ignore their pleas for inclusion in the Olympics. But on this occasion IOC president Jacques Rogge used a neat little trick to ignore the female ski jumpers.

Associated Press
Arnie Stapleton
World champion Lindsey Van of the United States and Canadian national team member Katie Willis wrote to Rogge last week requesting a meeting while he was in Denver attending the SportAccord convention of industry sport leaders and the accompanying IOC executive board meetings. Lindsey had just won the inaugural women's ski jumping World Cup in the Czech Republic.

IOC spokeswoman Sandrine Tonge said that the letter was sent to IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, and only made its way to Denver on Wednesday afternoon, too late for Rogge to meet with them. Great excuse! The IOC spokeswoman also added that Rogge had "communicated" with Lindsey Van via email, but this was disputed by Van. The female ski jumpers then held a press conference to take their case public:

Lindsey Van, left, with Katie Willis. Photo: Jack Dempsey/AP (Lindsey Van should not be confused with Lindsey Vonn who is a ski racer)

"The sport is definitely moving forward, but we need the Olympics to give us that final push so that we can be closer to the guys in equality," said 24-year old Van. Willis said the success of that World Cup event shows the sport is ready for the Winter Games. Willis and Van are among 15 ski jumpers who suing because only male jumpers are allowed to compete in the Vancouver Olympics.

If the IOC doesn't reconsider its stance, the lawsuit filed last May against Vancouver organizers citing gender discrimination will be heard April 20 before a single judge in the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver. The plaintiffs represent 160 elite female ski jumpers from 18 countries who compete at the sport's highest level. They are asking for a single event on the normal hill in 2010. Ski jumping, one of the original eight events held at the first Winter Games in Chamonix, France, in 1924, is the only event in the Winter Games that doesn't allow female competitors.

Van wasn't surprised that Rogge didn't respond to her request for an audience with the IOC chairman. "Totally ignored, as expected," she said as she waited at Denver International Airport to fly home to Utah.

At this year's Winter X games Sarah Burke coaxed X Games organizers into adding ski slopestyle as an event in girls skiing. The Winter X games have also started paying male and female skiers equal prize money....way to go!

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Modern women are Spent!

The Daily Mail reports on a new book Spent by Dr Frank Lipman, which examines the reason modern women feel tired all the time. His book identifies the key irritants that exacerbate women's sense of exhaustion: poor diet, lack of exercise or even over-exercising, filling our bedrooms with electronic equipment on standby (so our nights are never dark and peaceful) and being out of touch with our bodies' natural rhythms.

And when both parents work, women find themselves doing 40 per cent more household chores than their husbands. Gerad Kite, one of Britain's leading fertility acupuncturists, also says, "Women are juggling so many different roles these days that some balls get dropped. Sex is frequently one of the first to fall and, like anything left alone too long, it's hard to get going again."

Spent is a detailed six-week programme including recipes and relaxation exercises to wean the reader off such pernicious modern crutches as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. Lipman outlines ways that the modern professional woman can be more in tune with her body's natural programming: eating fresh nutritious food, restoring instinctive sleep patterns, daily exercise and working down-time into your schedule.

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Julia Roberts perfect teeth

Julia Roberts' dazzling smile and generous lips frame a perfect set of teeth. In a 2006 survey conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, patients requested a celebrity smile like that of Julia Roberts. A Hollywood studio executive once said he'd pay money to watch Julia brush her teeth. In 2004 when Bulgarian archaeologists unearthed a 9000 year old skeleton of a young female with a perfect set of teeth, they nicknamed her "Julia Roberts"!

In Pretty Woman, one of her earliest movies, Julia Roberts set an example of oral hygiene by flossing her perfect teeth in one memorable scene. But those teeth were not always perfect; growing up Julia Roberts used to suck her thumb which created a gap between her two front teeth. This gap had to be fixed with dental work. And like all celebrities Roberts also gets her teeth whitened for photo ops.

Celebrity influence has affected the way people approach their oral hygiene. Market research analyst Mintel reports that 40% of Britons said they were more concerned about stained or yellow teeth while only 25% who were worried about oral problems, like cavities and receding gums, which carry health risks. Many of those questioned even claimed that they would rather invest in costly cosmetic surgery than good oral hygiene to protect their smile.

A trip to the dental clinic can get you professional teeth-whitening through cosmetic dental procedures. There are also teeth-whitening strips and toothpaste that have a temporary effect. Although tooth colour is genetically determined, teeth tend to darken naturally with age. They can also become stained by drinking too much coffee and by smoking cigarettes. Julia Roberts is guilty of the last; she was an addict, smoking through her career in the '90s:



Julia Roberts smoked in movies, she smoked in public, and she smoked in photo shoots (as above by Michael Tighe for American Film magazine). She was reprimanded by Hillary Clinton for chain-smoking in My Best Friend's Wedding and setting a bad example for young women to follow. Julia Roberts eventually quit smoking, and started doing Yoga, when she became pregnant.

Julia Roberts fitness

Julia Roberts is 42, a mother of three children, and still keeps her body in shape. And she attributes it to genetics: "I have been working out, but listen, it is 97 percent genetics. Don't let anybody tell you any crap about anything else, because that's what it is - 97 percent genetics and three percent just get your ass moving. Because I've never met a cookie I didn't like."

Among her favorite fruits is the mango and she also likes a sandwich made with apple and sharp cheddar cheese on Irish soda bread. She is also an advocate of growing more organic food. Julia Roberts is 5'9" and through most of her career her body measurements were 34B-23-34. Roberts used to go for six-mile jogs, among other workouts, but now mostly does Yoga to stay in shape.



Julia Roberts told the Boston Globe that because of her age she gets asked lots of "insulting questions", like when she was filming Mona Lisa Smile with a host of young actresses, someone asked her, "What was it like working with all these young, beautiful girls and having to get up everyday and look at yourself in the mirror. Does that make you consider plastic surgery?"

While there are no reports of Roberts considering plastic surgery, the Pretty Woman does have one unusual beauty treatment. Julia applies olive oil to her nails and cuticles to keep them from getting dry or brittle.

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Clean and use your tongue

The average human tongue is 4 inches long and is made of muscles. The tongue's normal color is pink to red with variable fissures, called papillae on the upper surface, which contain between them the taste buds. The tongue moves food around in the mouth to help you chew and swallow, the back muscles of the tongue push food down your throat. The tongue also helps in moving saliva around your mouth and pushing it in the throat while you sleep. You use your tongue to taste, chew, suck, lick, and talk.

But for all its benefits the tongue is responsible for one socially embarrassing affliction. Most people do not know that brushing the teeth and using a mouthwash is not enough to get rid of bad breath——you actually need to clean your tongue!

The papillae on the tongue trap food remains, which are deposited on the back and middle of the tongue. The tip of the tongue keeps rubbing against the teeth and is in constant contact with the saliva produced from the salivary glands on the inside of the lower lip. This is why the tip of the tongue stays clean. To find out how bad your breath problem is stick your tongue out and look in the mirror; the middle and back of the tongue will have a thin layer of white/yellow deposit.

This is the remains of food particles trapped on the surface of the tongue, which have reacted with bacteria in the back of the tongue, to produce sulphur compounds which give the whitish-yellow color and cause bad breath (medical term halitosis).

Any good mouthwash is important for general oral hygiene, but it cannot remove the deposits from the tongue. Similarly a "breath mint" or a breath spray will only give you an illusion of freshness and clean breath for a few minutes. But without cleaning the tongue you cannot get rid of bad breath. Doctors recommend using your regular toothbrush to gently brush the tongue clean. There are also tongue scrapers and tongue cleaners in the market, but some people don't like using these because if pushed too far back they can cause gagging.

Some companies manufacture special toothbrushes that incorporate tongue cleaning grooves on the back of the head, which they claim are specially designed to clean the tongue gently. A regular toothbrush is good enough. The tongue must be cleaned using gentle strokes, going inside-out, while sticking it out and looking in the mirror.

If you have never before cleaned your tongue, the deposits will not go away after one cleaning, and it may even take a week or two of regular brushing for the tongue to be completely clean. Brushing your tongue should become a daily practice, each time you brush your teeth, to keep it clean and make your breath normal.

Popular actress Megan Fox uses her tongue to strike a sexy pose for the men's magazine GQ

The human tongue is strong and flexible. It keeps from falling back down your throat because of a thin membrane joining it to the floor of your mouth. The tongue is very sensitive and can be used to examine the rest of the oral cavity for any ulcers, lesions or swelling. People can also use their tongue as a tooth pick to clear food debris stuck between the teeth.

A clean pink tongue keeps your breath fresh and makes kissing fun!

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Mouth ulcers

Mouth ulcers are sores or lesions that appear on the inside of cheeks, inner lips, and gums. These sores can burn and be painful; they make eating, talking, and even smiling difficult. And kissing is NO fun when you have mouth ulcers.....in fact certain kinds of mouth ulcers can spread from person to person through kissing. There are many kinds of mouth ulcers, each a different disease caused by disorders or viruses.

The less common type of mouth ulcers are cold sores, which are caused by the herpes simplex virus and appear on the lip surface, and Gingivostomatitis which is a viral infection causing swelling and sores.

Canker sores, medically known as aphthous stomatitis, are the most common form of mouth ulcers. Canker sores are benign but painful, white or yellow and surrounded by a bright red area, and they occur in women more often than in men. Canker sores usually appear on the inner cheeks and lips, tongue, soft palate, and the base of the gums. The good part of such mouth ulcers are that they heal on their own, after about a week or two, and the pain and burning reduce after only two-three days.

You can get canker sores through heredity or some weakness in the body's immune system. One common cause of such mouth ulcers is an accidental biting of the inner cheek or lips, or some other injury. Canker sores can be triggered by emotional stress, dietary deficiencies (especially iron, folic acid, or vitamin B-12), menstrual periods, hormonal changes, food allergies, and similar situations. Among the foods that provoke mouth ulcers in some people are citrus fruits and juices, chocolate, and hot spicy foods.

Canker sores kind of mouth ulcers are harmless and heal without treatment. But for reducing the pain and burning use antihistamines, antacids, corticosteroids, or other soothing preparations for applying directly on the ulcer. There are also natural treatments in herbs like sage and myrrh; while from the east aloe vera and honey have been used to treat mouth ulcers in the ancient Indian system of Ayurveda.

Good oral hygiene helps prevent some types of mouth ulcers. A mouth ulcer that does not heal even after 3 weeks can be a sign of oral cancer.

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Oral hygiene

For celebrities like Odette Yustman a clean tongue, healthy teeth, and gums are important at photo opps. The mouth is also the body's mirror, and oral hygiene is linked to general good health of the body. Problems in the oral cavity are related to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory problems, and osteoarthritis in the rest of the body.

The oral cavity includes the tongue, teeth, gums, and throat. Gum disease, which is is an infection in the gum tissues, has been linked to heart disease and strokes. Problems like plaque and cavities in teeth, if left untreated, can infect the supporting bones and spread to other parts of the body. Mouth ulcers and lesions can be painful or benign, and disappear after a week or two. But if they persist longer, it is an indication of a more severe problem like oral cancer. According to The Oral Cancer Foundation, someone dies from oral cancer, every hour of every day in the United States alone.

Then there are the lips and tongue. Both should be hydrated and free of lumps or lacerations. Hydration of the tongue and the rest of the oral cavity depends on the production of saliva. There are many benefits of saliva; it produces calcium and phosphorus, which are absorbed by the teeth. Saliva prevents food from sticking to the teeth and gums, it moves bacteria around, and also has antibacterial substances to protect the entire oral cavity.

While celebrities rely on teeth whiteners for improving the cosmetic appearance of their mouths, healthy teeth come from brushing daily for two minutes, using short gentle strokes. Brush the back of the teeth, molar fillings, and your tongue. An antiseptic mouthwash can clean the rest of the oral cavity and prevent bad breath. Flossing between the teeth is also essential to remove food particles and prevent the build-up of plaque. At other times use your tongue or a tooth pick to remove food particles from between teeth.



Oral hygiene depends a lot on what you put in your mouth. Carbonated sugary colas, which are harmful for bone strength, create acids that damage the teeth. Bottled water is also acidic and does not have fluoride. Excessive alcohol consumption reduces the production of saliva and dehydrates the oral cavity. Eating fibrous foods, which is good for overall health, helps in the production of saliva as does chewing sugarless gum.

A visit to the dentist every six months helps your oral hygiene and is essential to detect signs of oral cancer. As a cosmetic plus, your dental hygienist can remove stains and polish your teeth. Dental insurance plans usually cover the cost of such bi-annual check-ups.

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Sleepovers and teen pregnancy

Dating is harmless fun, as is studying together. But when is a teenager old enough to have a sleepover with the opposite sex - or even to entertain them in their bedroom with the door closed? In a recent poll of 1,770 girls aged between 12 and 18 for the teen magazine Sugar, one in ten was allowed to have boys stay overnight in their bedroom, a third could take boys into their rooms and close the door during the day and 16 per cent had boys to stay overnight in separate rooms. Of those questioned, 262 girls admitted to having sex. Of them, nearly two-thirds had been under age.

Times Online
Alexandra Blair

Most parents pray that shocking case of 13-year-old Alfie Patten who fathered 15-year old Chantelle Steadman's child, will remain the exception, but the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics make uncomfortable reading. The number of teen pregnancies in England and Wales is rising, for the first time in five years.

Professor Tanya Byron, psychologist and times2 columnist, says that no 14-year-old she has met is emotionally or psychologically mature enough to understand the implications of sex in the longer term. As teenagers approach 16, and the age of consent, they are becoming young adults and are inclined to reject the family unit and explore. Professor Byron urges parents to find a balance between over-protecting their child and abolishing all boundaries.

"If a mother has had a bad early sexual experience, she may wish that her parents had given her more boundaries and managed her better, but if she runs in with all guns blazing and foists her anxiety on to her child, she'll lose the battle before she starts," she says, adding that it can help sometimes to share experiences and explain why you are so concerned.

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Claudia Schiffer

38-year old Claudia Schiffer on the cover of the latest Vogue Magazine, which comes out on Thursday. The former supermodel lives in West London with her film producer husband Matthew Vaughn, and children six-year old Caspar and four-year old Clementine. She is pictured in a range of poses, including a revealing picture where she dons a military jacket over a bare chest and wears ripped jeans and a cap. In the accompanying interview, she reveals that she struggles to keep weight on and 'can't miss a single meal'.

Daily Mail
Paul Revoir

The German-born model speaks of her lack of self-confidence at the start of her career. "I didn't consider myself to be beautiful; I wasn't one of the popular, pretty girls at school," she said.

Claudia Schiffer also said she would never consider Botox. "It's poison in my skin and no one knows the longterm effects. I'm far more scared of that than a wrinkle on my forehead. All of my friends are my age and we are all aging at the same time. We talk about it and moan, but it doesn't bother me."

As for her fitness, and how she maintains her fantastic body, Claudia Schiffer says, "I have always worked out, and I've gone through different phases of Yoga, but the combination of Pilates three days a week with Yoga is incredible."

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Hilary Duff's fitness regimen

Teen idol, popular actress and singer, and smart businesswoman Hilary Duff was a healthy teenager, slim but not skinny. But some magazines did not like her healthy look and called her fat in articles with crazy titles like: Hilary Duff Puffs Up! Then at age 17 when Hilary suddenly lost a lot of weight, it lead to speculation that the actress/singer had an eating disorder. In 2007 Hilary posed in a bikini for Shape Magazine to prove that she did not suffer from a negative body image.



The reaction to Hilary's bikini photos in Shape (above left) was not what she expected. People said that Duff was just trying to sex-up her image. But Hilary responded, "You don't need to do that to further your career. Shape is for women and is about your body and how to be healthy. I had lost a bunch of weight and put some on. We were talking about how there was a time I felt pressure to be super skinny and had such a strict diet."

That time was 2005-06 when Hilary told Cosmopolitan Magazine, "You can see that I'm healthy. I did lose weight but I don't know how much, because I never got on the scale before. When you get older, you lose your baby fat." Hilary also revealed that she lost weight by swimming and eating right. "My best friend of nine years was on tour with me, and we swam 30 laps every day. We always made sure we stayed at hotels with pools, and on the days that I didn't feel like doing it, she'd be like let's go. And we didn't eat pasta or rice or bread during the tour either."

Hilary Duff is short, only 5'2", and has fluctuated between a body size zero and two. Duff was size two, dropped to zero, and is now back as two. The bikini photo of Duff on the right is from January 2009.

Hilary Duff and current boyfriend Mike Comrie out jogging on the beach

Hilary Duff is a trained gymnast and says, "I took gymnastics for a long time. I have a trampoline, and I can do anything on it! On the ground, I do back handsprings. I never work out at a gym." Hilary did those back handsprings on the TV talk show, Late Night With Conan O'brien, back in 2004. She was talking about her abilities as a gymnast and to prove her point, took off her shoes and did the back handsprings to the audience's delight. Duff also did her own stunts in Lizzie McGuire and in her movies.

And while Hilary modified her diet to lose weight, she is saddened by the body image issues in the world of fashion. Duff says, "Some models have actually died from it (the pressure to be thin). It hasn't affected me—I eat!"



And Hilary Duff like all women, loves chocolate. As a kid she adored jelly belly candy and M&Ms; and still loves chocolate cakes and soufflé. Now of course Duff has cut out some of the junk from her diet because as she says, "I'm older now and I can't eat what I did when I was 12."

Hilary Duff did not drink, smoke, or do drugs in her teen years. And she still does not smoke, and has not been in rehab for drug use either. But Hilary has been spotted drinking when she turned 19.



Apart from gymnastics and swimming, Duff says she is obsessed with pilates. "My sister [introduced] me to Pilates, and I just got obsessed with it. I do it three or four times a week when I'm not traveling." Hilary Duff's fitness regimen also includes a little Yoga and of course dancing:

When you dance, you feel sexy. To feel good in your body—that's such a good thing. I still work on that, and maybe it's something you work on your whole life, but I definitely feel more confident since I started dancing.

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Natural reflex of yawning and stretching

Yawning and stretching are natural reflex actions of the body. Scientists are not sure exactly why we, and other animals yawn and stretch, and they have conducted studies and experiments to find the reason! The scientific definition of yawning: "Yawning is a stereotypical reflex characterized by a single deep inhalation (with the mouth open) and stretching of muscles of the jaw and trunk."

Most of us know why, and when we yawn. When we're tired and sleepy, when we wake up, or when we're bored. Earlier studies put the reason down to a lack of oxygen reaching the brain, but then an experiment by Dr. Robert Provine in 1987 disproved that theory. He then concluded that yawning and stretching increase the heart rate, pump blood into the veins, and flex the muscles and joints. Other scientists also admit that yawning and stretching are linked.

Yawning and stretching are therefore natural reflexes for the body to recharge after we wake up. At other times, when we're bored or tired and sitting still, the yawn and stretch reflex signal the body to change it's position.

The stretching that comes with a yawn, starts with the arms pushing out and back, and then going above the head. This complete stretch makes our bodies come back into optimum posture.

Penelope Cruz stretching in a photo shoot for French Elle

It seems silly to research something so simple as reasons for yawning, but scientists insist that some mysteries still remain. Like why are yawns sometimes contagious? When one person yawns another person feels the need to follow suit. Well, as many girls know, close friends also get their menstrual periods together for no reason! Does everything have to be researched so much? Why not just accept that it happens and stop wasting money on silly research.

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