How long does it take to train before you get any benefits?

It may take a month or two before aerobic workouts get noticeably easier, but you'll shed weight within a week. And your strength will sharpen: Studies done at a US university demonstrate that muscle responds to weight-lifting after only four sessions. It gets better: Recent research suggests reduced stress, a rosier outlook, more confidence, better sex, sounder sleep all kick in after one workout. » Continue reading

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Programmed to Care

Robots on wheels may one day help elderly people. Developed by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, Nursebots are being designed to carry dishes and other household items, remind patients to take medications, monitor movement to prevent falls, and provide a video link to outside professionals.

As baby boomers age, a shortage of caregivers is expected, says Sebastian Thrun of Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute. Some of the slack can be taken up by personal assistants like this prototype (left), whose "face" includes eyes with lids that open and close, and eyebrows that tilt up and down It can respond to simple questions ("What's on TV?"), and nod or shake its head. Circular "ears" twirl slowly when it's thinking." The robot -- commercially viable perhaps within a decade -- is already scoring high on a test run with some senior citizens near Pittsburgh.

Also read
Robots have already proven to be killer machines » Continue reading

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Adventure Site to Save

Thought of a budget, adventure trip to exotic places like Bhutan, Leh, Kerala's rain forests, Arunachal Pradesh, Burma or Sikkim? Check out www.explorersindia.com. » Continue reading

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Pray Mates

75% of people who pray with their spouses often describe their marriages as "very happy" (compared with 57% of those who don't), according to a survey of 657 couples by sociologist Andrew Greeley. Those who pray are also more likely to rate their spouses as skilled lovers. » Continue reading

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Steer Clear of Hotel Phones!

Way to beat the rip-off

Hotels usually overcharge on phone calls made from your room. To save money:

• Use the neighbourhood PCO
  
• Use a lobby pay-phone, if your hotel has one.
  
• Use a cell phone. Before leaving home, make sure your mobile has a roaming option, either with your regular billing plan or prepaid card.

» Continue reading

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Stretching not a good warmup for exercise

Though you see people doing them, toe touches and calf stretches won't prepare your muscles for a workout. The only way to warm up, say experts, is with light aerobic exercise: walking, easy jogging, or stationary cycling, for example. Do this for five to ten minutes, and you're good to go. Muscles are like toffee -- when cold, they're stiff and can tear if you overextend them. But they're pliable once the blood is pumping.

In fact, you can save stretching for post exercise. But don't skip it; the range of motion that limbering up supplies protects against injury and makes your next workout easier. When you do stretch, hold each position steady for ten to thirty seconds. » Continue reading

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Once upon a Mattress

Men and women fret differently.

According to a survey by home furnishings retailer IKEA, the top five worries keeping people awake at night are:

Men

1. Fear of aging
   
2. Own weight
   
3. Wife's weight
   
4. Career
   
5. Personal finance

Women

1. Personal finance
   
2. World issues
   
3. Children
   
4. Friends' health
   
5. Fear of aging

Moreover, 61% of men reported they sleep better with their dog in bed. But having Rover in the sack is annoying to most women, who'd prefer to let sleeping dogs lie elsewhere. » Continue reading

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