Bladder Tips

Bladder capacity: A women's bladder capacity is not that much smaller than a man's but women tend to limit the capacity of their bladders by continuing to go more than we need to - the 'just-in-case' habit. And it's not helped by the current obsession with drinking huge amounts of water. You only need 24ml of water per kilogram of body weight every 24 hours. So a 60kg (9st 6lb) woman needs just 1.4 litres (just under 3 pints) of water a day - and that's from everything you consume, including food. Though we do need a little more in hot weather or when exercising.

Our bladders can hold perhaps as much as a litre of fluid, but the 'micturation point' (when our bladder says 'now') is about 150 to 200 ml and varies between individuals. Some drinks have a diuretic effect (making you produce more urine for a while) so while out either avoid or restrict fizzy drinks containing aspartame, anything caffeinated, white wine and champagne.

At age 25, an average person's bladder can hold 2 cups of liquid.
At age 65, the average is half that capacity.

Female Urination Devices (FUDs) are funnel shaped pieces of plastic or card that allow women to pee standing up. They are useful medically: if you need to provide a urine sample, after surgery to help avoid catheterisation, and for women who have had a hip repalacement and find it difficult to sit down to pee. And in everyday life they can be a boon too: take one in the car on long journeys for emergencies, use in grotty public toilets, and at open air concerts where the queues can be lengthy. FUDs are now easily available and easy to maintain. Tip: There's a knack to using these, so practice in the shower at home first.

Cystitis: While the best position for a woman to urinate is squatting, as the pelvic floor is completely relaxed, urinating standing using a FUD won't cause cystitis. If you are worried about urinary infection, the top tip is to urinate straight after sex.

Good Housekeeping, August 2013

Figure Flattery

The right styles, colours and patterns can make all the difference.

• Play up to your best bits: Keep clothing in proportion and draw attention to what you like. Show off legs in a knee-length pencil skirt or fitted crop trousers. Emphasise a trim waist with fitted jackets or belts. Wearing baggy clothes top-to-toe makes you look bigger than you are.
• Stand tall: Heels do make your legs look slimmer. But you don't have to teeter around in stilettos - wedges, platforms and chunky heels all have the same slimming effect.
• The print rule: Bright, large-scale patterns and wide stripes will add pounds. To look smaller go small with pinstripes, polka dots and petite florals.
• Clever disguises: Clothes that are ruched, wrapped or draped divert attention from problem areas and are flattering for all sizes. A heavy jersey fabric will add support and smooth over lumps and bumps. Three quarter length sleeves are slimming and a good choice if you prefer to cover your arms.
• Tummy tamers: Narrow, tunic-style tops worn over slim trousers will draw the eye away from your tummy. Wear flat front trousers to smooth and reduce a muffin top.
• Buy the right underwear: Wearing a bra that fits properly can make the bust look smaller. Shapewear may not look sexy, but it works wonders. Buy a vest with a control panel or high waisted pants for a svelte sihouette.
• Use black strategically: a classic slimming tip, wear black on the parts you'd most like to visually slim. (My variation on this: Actually, not everyone likes or suits black and this works just as well with other dark colours such as navy, bottle green, deep burgundy and dark brown.)

Good Housekeeping, August 2013

Sugar Facts (2)

Sugar and your skin
A recent study comparing high levels of glucose in the blood and how old the subjects appeared. The older people appeared to be - on average it was five months older than they actually were - seemed to correlate with a high rate of blood sugar. The reason is that glucose attacks collagen and makes skin more brittle.

Michael Mosley in Radio Times, October 2013

High Fructose Corn Syrup
This is sweeter than sugar and interferes with leptin, a hormone that has a key role in controlling appetite.

Sugar and heart attacks
Sugar is a higher risk factor than fat for cardiac disease. So avoid low fat products as these typically contain higher levels of sugar to compensate for the lower fat content.

Fructose
Fructose is easily converted to fat in the body. When the liver is overloaded with sugars, leptin (the hunger controlling hormone) simply stops working, so the body doesn't recognise that it is full.

Phone Calls Abroad

Save money on phone calls made while abroad.

1. When you arrive at your destination, buy a local SIM to phone home for less.
2. Switch your mobile phone's 3G and roaming services off to avoid a hefty bill whenyou get back. For iPhones, go to: settings/general/mobile data. For Android, it's settings/data usage.
3. If you have free WiFi access, download Whatsappto send free texts to other Whatsapp users. Otherwise texts cost 11p a time within the EU, and more elsewhere. Receiving texts is free.

Good Housekeeping August 2013

Frozen Food

If the freezer is cold enough (-18C) and there are no power cuts, it doesn't matter how long food is frowzen from a safety point of view. But the texture and flavour may suffer, so label and date goods and use within these time periods.

• Cakes: 6 months (iced ones loose quality after 2 months)
• Bread: 4 weeks
• Uncooked pastry: 3 months
• Cooked fruit pies: 6 months
• Meat pies: 3 months
• Sauces, soups & stocks: 3 months
• Beef: joints (8 months); steaks, mince & cubed meat (3 months)
• Poultry: whole (1 year); pieces (3 to 6 months)
• Pork: 6 months
• Lamb: joints (6 months); cutlets (3 months)
• Sausages: 1 to 3 months
• Fish: 6 months
• Fresh vegetables: whole or sliced, blanched first (1 year - except for cauliflower - 6 months)
• Fresh fruit: whole or sliced (1 year); purees (6 to 8 months); juice (4 to 6 months)

 Good Housekeeping August 2013

Fresh vegetables don't need to be blanched if storing for less than 3 months. [Unknown source.]

Walk It Off

Research suggests that we make better food choices if we know how many miles it takes to burn off the calories. (You can walk a mile at a steady pace in 15 to 20 minutes; so in 1 hour you'll cover 3 to 4 miles.) So here's how far you'd need to go for .....

Biscuits: 2 Fox's Ginger Crinkle Crunch biscuits (96 cal): 1.2 miles ## 2 shortbread fingers (190 cal) 2.4 miles ##

Cakes: 1 M&S jam doughnut (190 cal) 2.4 miles ##

Chips: McDonald's regular fries (291 cal) 3.6 miles ## 

Crisps: 1 packet (28g) Walkers Crinkles Simply Sea Salted crisps (153 cal): 1.9 miles ## 1/4 pkt (38g) Tyrell's vegetable crips (184 cal) 2.3 miles ##

Drinks: 250ml bottle Vegesentials beetroot, pomegranite and carrot juice (115 cals): 1.4 miles ## 250 ml Innocent Smoothie (140 cal) 1.8 miles ## Starbucks classic hot chocolate (whole milk) (193 cal) 2.4 miles ##

Ice Cream: 2 scoops (100g) Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream (220 cals): 2.8 mile ##

Puddings: 10 strawberries (125g) and 1 tblsp (30g) double cream (183 cals): 2.3 miles ##

Sweets: 3 Quality Street sweets (133 cal) 1.7 miles ##

Olive Oil

German scientists asked volunteers to eat yogurt with different added fats every day for three months. Those who had eaten olive oil had higher blood levels of serotonin, the hormone that makes us feel full. Amazingly when they switched the oil for olive aroma, they had the same results.

Good Housekeeping August 2013

Perfume Tips

Where - and where not - to apply perfume.

• Only spray onto wrists, elbows and collarbone. (Don't dab behind the ears - sebum producing glands in this area will alter the scent.)
• Avoid spritzing fragrance on skin that will be exposed when you go out in the sun as it may cause patchy pigmentation. 
• Don't spray on your cleavage - perfume contains alcohol which is an astringent and in the long term will cause skin to go crepe-y.

Making perfume last longer

• Apply your scent in the nude as soon as you've dried off from your shower and before putting on your clothes. Your body heat will intensify the base notes of the fragrance, so the sooner you apply it the better.
• Matching body creams moisturize skin and help prevent scents from evaporating too quickly. Apply it after you've put on your perfume.
• Avoid mixing perfume with other scents. Use either unscented soaps, deodorants and talcum powders, or use matching perfume and toiletries.
• Rub a small amount of Vaseline on to the areas where you apply your perfume. This will help the scent cling to your skin, making it last twice as long. As we age, our skin gets drier and our natural oils can't fix scent as efficiently.

Which and How much perfume to use

• As you get older, avoid heavy, fruity fragrances and sweet vanilla combinations.
• Update your fragrance with a new version of an old favourite. Perfume houses update their fragrances for a more modern scent. (An example is Eau Premiere, the younger 'sister' of Chanel No5.)
• Don't use too much - perfume overload is an age betrayer. Our sense of smell is less acute as we get older - you may think your perfume doesn't last as it used to or smell like it did - but other people will be able to smell it.
• Don't spray clothes with perfume - you'll only get the raw top-notes. The full scent is released in interaction with the skin.

Has your perfume changed?

• Your scent may really have changed. In the past 20 years, many classic fragrances have been subtly altered to compensate for ingredients that the International Fragrance Association has either banned or restricted as potentially carcingenic.
• Life changes - divorce, bereavement, new job, pregnancy - can make you want to change your regular scent. Perhaps it now feels too heavy, or just not right for you.

Good Housekeeping (various issues)

Restrict Buying 'Free' App Extras

It's easy for youngsters playing 'free' games and apps to accidentally buy extras if you've stored your card details to make purchases yourself. When they come across new levels and extra lives, for example, all they have to do is click to buy. But you can protect against this.

Apple: Go to Settings, then General, then Restrictions. Press Enable Restrictions and you'll be asked to create a PIN. Turn off In-App Purchases (see the Allowed Content section) or set it so you have to put in the PIN before buying.

Android: Open the Google Play store and choose Settings. Select Set or Change PIN, and you be asked to choose a pin to be entered before buying when using any apps.

Kindle Fire: Instructions can be found on the Amazon website under Kindle Support.

GH Tip: Make sure the PIN you select for this function is different from the one you use to access the device itself.

Good Housekeeping August 2013

Walnuts

Walnuts are unique among nuts because they contain the same heart healthy omega 3 fats found in oily fish. They may also help protect against type 2 diabetes.

Easing Stress

The Micro Break
For a few seconds, close your eyes, unclench your jaw, relax your shoulders (let them drop towards the floor) and breathe out loudly. You can do it for longer but bear in mind that it's more effective to have several short breaks than one long one.

Release Your Anger
Stand up, take a cushion, close your eyes and imagine you are putting all your anger / tensions / annoyance into the cushion. Then breathe out loudly while throwing the cushion at the floor. Repeat twice more. On the third time, keep your eyes closed and experience your feelings. When you are ready, breathe out, rub your hands and open your eyes.

Goldfish Breathing
To release tension and energise the body, breathe in through the nose and open your mouth as wide as is comfortable. Exhale slowly and gently until the lungs are completely empty, and allow the inhale to come naturally. Breather normally for a few minutes, then repeat the 'open mouth' breath again. Do this four or five times, opening the jaw a little wider each time. 

Happy Thoughts
Think of your happiest memory and visualise every detail - the place, sounds, smells and colours. Keep this at the forefront of your mind as you relax.

Good Housekeeping issue August 2013