Alex - Here have what I know

It’s easier to stay committed to your fitness regime when you have a friend working out with you. But just how do you go about finding your best fitness friend? By Deborah Tan

“Let’s go shopping,” I said to a girlfriend on one particularly boring Saturday afternoon. “OK, meet you at VivoCity in an hour,” she chirped back happily. Fast forward two Fridays later. I called this same girlfriend up and asked, “Hey, want to go for a jog at MacRitchie tomorrow?” This invitation to work out together was predictably met with less enthusiasm “Huh?” she said into the phone, “Jogging? You must be kidding.” Yes, what was I thinking, asking a shopping-mate to go sweat it out at a muddy reservoir with me?

When it comes to partying, eating and shopping, I have no lack of friends who’ll happily rise to the occasion. But when it comes to exercising, even “low-stress” ones like yoga, everyone shies away. Is working out really so scary? “It’s less intimidating when you promise your friend you can both chill out at the pool after a workout,” tips Jacqueline Chow, a Fly Entertainment artiste, who hits the gym and pool at least once a week. “l mean, post-workout martinis sound like a good idea, right?”
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All’s fair in love and war. If you want to look like you’re an old hand at the dating game, follow these rules of engagement.

I don’t want to stop getting to know new men just because I’m attached.
Both men and women befriend each other because of attraction. Be friendly and aboveboard. If he asks whether you’re attached, be honest. If he still wants to be friends, he’ll stay on and continue the conversation. If you detect flirting, steer the conversation to a neutral topic like the weather.

Can I get together with my friend’s ex now that they’ve broken up?
No. Despite examples that indicate otherwise, it’s going to be messy. But if you feel he’s The One, you can do one or all of the following:
1. Talk to your friend about how she’d feel if you and her ex hook up. Get ready for tears.

2. Pursue the relationship only after you’re sure your friend has moved on and is happy in her present relationship.

3. Cut your friend loose from your life. But if you and the guy break up in the future, don’t expect her to be there to comfort you.
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When it comes to bad luck, it doesn’t just rain; it buckets down. Luckily, we have an umbrella.

Ever feel like the world’s closing in on you? Like nothing seems to be going your way? Bet Jessica Simpson can relate. It might look like the biggest dilemma in her life is which designer handbag to carry to lunch at The Ivy but, the truth is, she’s going through a rough patch and the cracks are starting to show.

Since giving ex-hubby Nick Lachey the flick, Jess has struggled to make a splash in the dating pool while Nick’s been moving at lightning speed with new squeeze Vanessa Minnillo. She’s also reportedly fallen out with her best friend and her singing career is headed south foster than a duck in winter. Her latest album sold just 200,000 copies while her first blitzed the charts, selling 2.9 million copies. Throw in a family feud and a fired publicist and it doesn’t make for a very happy mix.

So how do you deal when you luck has packed its bags and taken a one-way trip to Alaska just like Miss Simpson’s? You “roll with the punches and not wallow,” as the singer said recently. “My life is chaos right now. But you can let the chaos consume you or you can just walk along with it.”

If you’re prepared to fight setback instead of losing the plot, you’re already on the fast lane to feeling better. But if you want to speed up that 180-degree life makeover, you need a little insider info. The goal news? We’ve plenty to go around.
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1. Cry every time you feel the need to. If you don’t release pent-up emotions, you’ll lash out at someone you don’t mean to.

2. Listen to music that reminds you of happy times, not sad songs.

3. Seek out company. There’s nothing like the unconditional love of a pet to lift your spirits, so check out the SPCA today and you and your new pet will both benefit.

4. Exercise, eat well and get into nature. Looking after yourself is key.

5. Make time for things you love to do and let everything else fit around that.
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Seven reasons why you should never move in with a man who’s never lived on his own.

You’ve finally snared yourself a man who doesn’t break out in a rash at the thought of commitment. He may even have told you he loves you before you uttered these words.

Giddy infatuation has over a few months given way to solid foundations of communication and consideration. Better still, these factors have combined to have you both thinking of and speaking about taking things to the next logical level: cohabitation.

Smart move. Despite several international studies which suggest couples who lived together before they got married have a higher divorce rate than those who did not, we’re not yet talking about nuptials. The fact remains there is no better way to get to know someone in his entirety than to live with him. Yes, you will be exposed to every nail-biting, toe-cleaning, pimple-squishing habit, but you will learn to love him despite these traits. One need only look at the relationships most of us have with our siblings for proof.
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Is the stress from doubling your workload before going on leave worth it? Here’s how to ensure you leave free from office-woes.

Step 1: STAY POSITIVE
Having something to look forward to helps. Holiday starts on the 20th? Decorate that particular spot on your table-planner with bright markers so you can see yourself moving closer to it.

Step 2: GET SUPPORT
Don’t be afraid to let family and friends know you have-to clear your work before your leave and that could mean OT. They’ll be more understanding when you arrive late for, or postpone, appointments.
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City slickers just don’t know how to relax. There are 101 things to be done and you’d rather be a super-duper multi-tasker than sit around twiddling your thumbs. But if you’re starting to forget things, lose your appetite or can’t sleep through the night, it’s time to go for a massage, take a work sabbatical, or try these simple ways to recharge the mind and body.

1. Rejuvenate with a massage
Massaging the face or body can aid in blood circulation and relieve tension. All it takes is an extra five minutes on top of your daily skincare ritual. When applying your body lotion, use slow, luxurious strokes (upward and circular motions). Avoid doing this in an air-conditioned room so as to keep the body temperature warm.

2. Refresh the body
If crashing in front of the telly and raiding the fridge are high on your agenda, be sure the fridge is stocked with healthy bites like yoghurt, carrot and celery sticks, and melon cubes - this way, you can also ensure that you get your daily intake of fruits and vegetables. If you’re craving savoury munchies, snack on pretzels or baked tortilla chips and pair them with salsa instead of sour cream. Your body will feel much lighter and fresher and it’ll love you for it.

3. Read a book
One of the best ways to take your mind off the strains of the day is to snuggle in bed with your favourite book. Whatever the genre, it helps to be transported to another time and place - even for an hour. Sure beats worrying about all the stuff you’ve to do tomorrow!
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You’ll be recoiling in disgust at the thought of them for years afterward!

1. FAT GIRL IN BED WITH YOU
The worst kind of morning-after shock. Your only thought is escape. Even if it’s your bed.

2. Grey hair
You’re only 24, so how? Is this the end already?

3. A wasp approaching
You’re about to whimper and wriggle like a big wuss in front of your girlfriend’s posse.

4. A ball heading for disaster
The football you just kicked at full blast slows to action-replay speed as it swerves towards a pensioner’s face.

5. Dreaded blue line
Your girlfriend is holding a pregnancy test. The blue line indicates ‘yes’. Your life is over.

6. Other people at the cinema
Just as the titles roll, a guy with massive hair shuffles to the seat in front of yours. And two groups of shouty kids head for those seats on either side of you. Another $8.50 has just been pissed away.

7. Your girlfriend-all over the internet
You’ve stumbled across pictures of your girlfriend naked on the web. They weren’t taken by you, and seem to reveal her secret fondness for salami and US Marines.

8. Warehouse women’s clothing sale
With normal girlfriend shopping trips there’s a chance of nipping off to the pub for a break. But at one of these remote living-death camps, escape is impossible.

9. Your porn collection in the public domain
Your girlfriend/sister/mother thought they’d be nice and tidy your room. But now they stand aghast, holding your porn. Their image of you as a sweet, gentle man has been erased, and replaced with that of a grotty pervert who’s not to be trusted around kids.

10. A new mole on your body
“Just pretend it’s not there, it’s only a big freckle, la la la, no need to go to the doctor…”
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We reveal the truth behind the pub nonsense you heard about your body.

01 HAIR GROWS BACK THICKER AFTER IT’S BEEN SHAVED
The myth - If you take a razor to that unsightly sprout on your back, it’ll regrow to look like you’re wearing a furry cape.
The reality - “It’s a myth,” says Dr Rob Hicks, GP. “Ordinary hair has a nice neat taper to it, but when you shave it and it starts to grow back you get a blunt end. This is what makes it appear more noticeable - but it’s no thicker.”

02 WEARING TIGHT UNDERPANTS MAKES YOU INFERTILE
The myth - Testicle-crushing undercrackers will strangle your plums and leave you firing blanks.
The reality - They won’t make you sterile, but tiny pants can affect your ability to have kids, and not just by repulsing women. “The male reproductive organs hang outside the body because sperm survive better if they’re cooler than body temperature,” says Toni Belfield from the Family Planning Association in the UK. “The average pair of Y-fronts won’t make a difference, but if you wear underwear that brings the scrotum up next to the body, it may affect sperm numbers.”

03 BALDNESS IS A SIGN OF VIRILITY
The myth - Shineheads are compensated by nature for their follicular deficiency by being awarded higher-than-average levels of testosterone - which means they have more swimmers than blokes with flowing locks.
The reality - “That’s not true,” says Jonny Harris, director of The Belgravia Centre, a leading hair-loss clinic in London. “Hair loss isn’t caused by excessive testosterone. It’s caused by receptors in the scalp being sensitive to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is formed when testosterone combines with an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. If there’s more of the enzyme than there is testosterone, then there will be more DHT - and that will cause hair loss. But you don’t necessarily need high levels of testosterone to have high levels of DHT. There’s nothing that suggests you can tell anything about a person’s virility by looking at the hair on their head.” Sorry, baldies - you’re no more man than the next man!

04 SWALLOWED CHEWING GUM STAYS IN YOUR GUT FOREVER
The myth - Your body can’t process chewing gum so, if you swallow a stick, it jams in your gut and stay there.
The reality - You probably got this from your mate in the playground, just after you swallowed three jawbreakers. Well, it’s a load of rubbish. “It just passes through you,” says Bridget Aisbitt, a nutrition scientist from the British Nutrition Foundation. “Chewing gum will just get swept along with other food that’s in the gut at the same time.”

05 CRACKING YOUR KNUCKLES GIVES YOU ARTHRITIS
The myth - Twisting your fingers to make them crack will give you arthritis because it wears away the tissue around the joints.
The reality - “There’s no truth in it at all,’ assures Dr Hicks. “The worst you’ll do is give yourself a bit of swelling, and you may lose a certain amount of grip strength.” It turns out that cracking noise you hear is just the click of the joint being pushed out of position. But making a knuckle racket doesn’t do any lasting damage, much to the disappointment of everyone who can hear you.
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