Friday, April 19, 2013

OOT | Top Ten Amazing Facts About Colors




Top Ten Amazing Facts About Colors

It’s in everything we touch, taste, smell, and feel. It evokes emotion without asking for prior thought. It can be the focus of our careers, the way we live, the choices we make, and the fun we have. We are all familiar with color and its basic concepts, but did you know…??



Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
1. Blue is the most common favorite color
Rebecca-Big Blue is the most favored color in the world, with purple being a distant second. A whopping forty percent of people worldwide would choose blue as their favorite color in playtime poll booth, with purple-lovers lagging way behind at fourteen percent.


Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
2. Bright colors will win you friends
Spinning-With-The-Umbrella-In-A-Yellow-Flower-Dress-761758? Colors are responsible for 62-90% of our first impressions of one another. That means that if you prefer black and neutrals to violets and oranges, it might be time to add a little color to a bland wardrobe to make a better overall impression. Who knows? It could mean the difference between getting the job and meeting the mate of your dreams, or living alone and waking up next to a beer can pyramid on a Tuesday morning.


Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
3. Men and women see the color red very differently
While those of us who are estrogen producers tend to see maroon, cardinal, and crimson, men typically just see red. No varying tones, hues, or shades–just color-crayon, fire engine red.
The explanation is actually quite simple and all falls back on basic DNA. Researchers from Arizona State University found that there’s a specific gene that allows us to see and interpret the color red. Women have two X chromosomes, while men only possess one. Because the particular “red-seeing gene” sits on the X chromosome, it only makes sense that women would have a full understanding of the red spectrum, while our counterparts only have half the pieces to the racy red puzzle. Therefore, ladies, if you’re one of those gals who just cannot make a decision when picking out a shade of lipstick, don’t put so much pressure on yourself. It’s really of very little importance.


Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
4. Silver will save your life
When purchasing that brand new vehicle and finding yourself overwhelmed by the 18-page book of options, your best bet is – and forever will be – to go with silver. Silver-colored cars are least likely to be involved in an auto accident, since they are most visible on the road and in low light. This, coupled with lower insurance rates and the silver color’s ability to maintain a look of cleanliness, manifests itself as a sure win.


Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
5. Yellow & Orange makes you hungry
Yellow and orange are not recommended for use in kitchens, as they are known appetite stimulators. With America’s ongoing obesity epidemic, it could possibly be time for Sherwin Williams to do away with bright citruses that have wrongly adorned kitchen walls for the past five decades. Then again – where would our restaurant owners be without those clever little tricks that keep our waistlines wide, but leave us wanting more? I’m not normally one for conspiracy theories – but perhaps there’s something in it for them if we remain ignorant of yellow’s effects?


Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
6. Pink soothes the nerves
Rowdy prisoners and combative patients? Pink is the palliative color, commonly used to splash the walls in prisons and mental health care facilities to assist in subduing those who are out-of-control. So pink definitely has a useful place and a purpose, other than decorating a prom dress or Barbie’s dream house.


Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
7. Color is an imaginary friend
Technically, it’s all in our heads: color does not exist at all. It is something created by our brains as a side-effect, when it desperately tries to make sense of the overwhelming amount of information it receives from the outer world. So, should you ever find yourself in a heated debate over color combinations with someone you are certain has an IQ below your car’s maximum speed or is just simply colorblind, keep in mind that it is a pointless argument and you should drop it immediately. You’re both wrong.


Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
8. Color wheels are the best thing since the wheel
Invented in 1666 by Sir Isaac Newton, the color wheel is by far the best tool to date to help us comprehend the colors that we see. Once we grasp how the color wheel arranges the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, we can better understand “harmonies”, or how and why certain colors complement one another. The color wheel is a major concept in any color theory class or course, and is crucial for certain careers, such as interior or graphic design.


Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
9. Colors can be frightening
Chromophobia (also known as Chromatophobia) is the rare, persistent, irrational fear of colors. Some people who have this disorder will react strongly to certain shades or tones, while others will try to avoid color altogether. Some signs and symptoms are: nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, feelings of panic, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, anxiety, light headedness, headache, and trembling. Effective treatment involves methods and techniques that include systematic desensitization and exposure therapy.


Top 10 Amazing Facts About Colors
10. Ground-up-remains-of-mummy goes splendidly with crimson
"Mummy" was once a color in ancient Egypt. Can you guess where the rich brown color received its somewhat macabre name? You guessed it! From the actual ground-up remains of Egyptian mummies, both human and feline. The Pre-Raphaelite painters of the 19th century considered it one of their favorite colors. The authentic pigment was produced all the way up until the early 20th century, when finally the supply of available mummy remains was exhausted. Though no longer containing the remnants of mummified corpses, the color “Mummy Brown” can still be found today.

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Monday, April 15, 2013

Top Ten Nutrition Benefits of Bananas



Top Ten Nutrition Benefits of Bananas


Children and adults alike love sweet, nutritious bananas. Since bananas come neatly packed in their own wrapper, they are very portable. They may be eaten in their whole form, sliced into fruit salad or mashed and added to muffin and bread recipes. Frozen bananas can be added to smoothies in place of yogurt or ice cream. A serving size is one peeled medium-sized banana, about 7 inches long.

 
 

1. Calories
By eating a banana you can Indulge your sweet tooth without ruining your diet. A banana averages about only 110 calories.

2. Fat and Cholesterol
Bananas are naturally fat and cholesterol free. Use mashed bananas to substitute for some or all of the butter or oil when making cookies, for example, for a healthier treat.

3. Potassium
Bananas are known for their high potassium content, with over 400 mg potassium in a single medium-size banana. According to Colorado State University Extension, potassium is necessary for good nerve and muscle function as well as for maintaining a healthy balance of fluids in the body. The potassium in bananas can help prevent muscle cramps after exercise.

4. Vitamin C
As with many fruits, bananas contain a good amount of vitamin C. One banana provides about 10 mg of vitamin C, or about 15 percent of your daily recommended amount. Vitamin C boosts your immune system and cell health and improves the absorption of other nutrients such as iron.

5. Vitamin B-6
Since B vitamins are more commonly found in animal products, it may come as a surprise that bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B-6, also called pyridoxine. One banana supplies 35 percent of your daily B-6 requirement. Your body uses vitamin B-6 to grow new cells.

6. Manganese
Bananas are a good source of manganese, with one medium banana providing about .3 mg. Adults need between 1.8 and 2.3 mg of manganese daily. Manganese is necessary for bone health and metabolism.

7. Fiber
According to the USDA, one banana has about 3 g of fiber. Dietary fiber can help you feel fuller longer and also keep your digestive processes running smoothly.

8. Other Nutrients
Bananas also deliver small amounts of other vitamins and minerals. A banana provides some iron, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus as well as vitamins A and E, folate, carotene and choline. Bananas also contain trace amounts of many amino acids.

9. Carbohydrates
Your body uses carbohydrates as a primary source of energy. Eat a banana after a workout to refuel. A banana with breakfast will start your day off right and will give you the energy to make it through to lunch without snacking.

10. Digestibility
Bananas are easy to digest. When you're sick with a virus or indigestion, bananas can be an appealing way to get some important nutrients into your system without upsetting your stomach. Mashed bananas are also often used as an introduction to solid foods for babies.



11 Habits That Will Help You Live to 100 | Healthy Steps to a Longer Life





11 Habits That Will Help You Live to 100
By Deborah Kotz for U.S. News Health

You don’t need to eat yogurt and live on a mountaintop, but you do need to floss.

One of the biggest factors that determine how well you age is not your genes but how well you live. Not convinced? A study published in 2009 in the British Medical Journal of 20,000 British folks show that you can cut your risk of having a stroke in half by doing the following things: being active for 30 minutes a day, eating five daily servings of fruit and vegetables, and avoiding cigarettes and excess alcohol.

While those are some of the obvious steps you can take to age well, researchers have discovered that centenarians tend to share certain traits in how they eat, move about, and deal with stress—the sorts of things we can emulate to improve our own aging process. Of course, getting to age 100 is enormously more likely if your parents did. Still, Thomas Perls, who studies the century-plus set at Boston University School of Medicine, believes that assuming you've sidestepped genes for truly fatal diseases like Huntington's, "there's nothing stopping you from living independently well into your 90s." Heck, if your parents and grandparents were heavy smokers, they might have died prematurely without ever reaching their true potential lifespan, so go ahead and shoot for those triple digits. Follow these 12 habits and check out Perls' lifetime risk calculator to see how long you can expect to live.


1. Don't Retire
"Evidence shows that in societies where people stop working abruptly, the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets after retirement," says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. 

The Chianti region of Italy, which has a high percentage of centenarians, has a different take on leisure time. "After people retire from their jobs, they spend most of the day working on their little farm, cultivating grapes or vegetables," he says. "They're never really inactive." 

Farming isn't for you? Volunteer as a docent at your local art museum or join the Experience Corps, a program offered in 19 cities that places senior volunteers in urban public elementary schools for about 15 hours a week.


2. Floss Every Day
That may help keep your arteries healthy. A 2008 New York University study showed that daily flossing reduced the amount of gum-disease-causing bacteria in the mouth. This bacterium is thought to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation in the arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease. 

Other research has shown that those who have high amounts of bacteria in their mouth are more likely to have thickening in their arteries, another sign of heart disease."I really do think people should floss twice a day to get the biggest life expectancy benefits," says Perls.


3. Move Around
"Exercise is the only real fountain of youth that exists," says Jay Olshansky, a professor of medicine and aging researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "It's like the oil and lube job for your car. You don't have to do it, but your car will definitely run better." 

Study after study has documented the benefits of exercise to improve your mood, mental acuity, balance, muscle mass, and bones. "And the benefits kick in immediately after your first workout," Olshansky adds. Don't worry if you're not a gym rat. 

Those who see the biggest payoffs are the ones who go from doing nothing to simply walking around the neighborhood or local mall for about 30 minutes a day. Building muscle with resistance training is also ideal, but yoga classes can give you similar strength-training effects if you're not into weight lifting.


4. Eat a Fiber-Rich Cereal for Breakfast
Getting a serving of whole-grains, especially in the morning, appears to help older folks maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, according to a recent study conducted by Ferrucci and his colleagues. "Those who do this have a lower incidence of diabetes, a known accelerator of aging," he says.


5. Get at Least Six Hours of Sleep Each Night
Instead of skimping on sleep to add more hours to your day, get more to add years to your life. "Sleep is one of the most important functions that our body uses to regulate and heal cells," says Ferrucci. 

"We've calculated that the minimum amount of sleep that older people need to get those healing REM phases is about six hours." Those who reach the century mark make sleep a top priority.


6. Consume Whole Foods, Not Supplements
Strong evidence suggests that people who have high blood levels of certain nutrients—selenium, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E—age much better and have a slower rate of cognitive decline. Unfortunately, there's no evidence that taking pills with these nutrients provides those anti-aging benefits. "There are more than 200 different carotenoids and 200 different flavonoids in a single tomato," points out Ferrucci, "and these chemicals can all have complex interactions that foster health beyond the single nutrients we know about like lycopene or vitamin C." Avoid nutrient-lacking white foods (breads, flour, sugar) and go for all those colorful fruits and vegetables and dark whole-grain breads and cereals with their host of hidden nutrients.


7. Be Less Neurotic
It may work for Woody Allen, who infuses his worries with a healthy dose of humor, but the rest of us neurotics may want to find a new way to deal with stress. "We have a new study coming out that shows that centenarians tend not to internalize things or dwell on their troubles," says Perls. "They are great at rolling with the punches." If this inborn trait is hard to overcome, find better ways to manage when you're stressed: Yoga, exercise, meditation, tai chi, or just deep breathing for a few moments is all good. Ruminating, eating chips in front of the TV, binge drinking? Bad, very bad.


8. Live Like a Seventh Day Adventist
Americans who define themselves as Seventh Day Adventists have an average life expectancy of 89, about a decade longer than the average American. One of the basic tenets of the religion is that it's important to cherish the body that's on loan from God, which means no smoking, alcohol abuse, or overindulging in sweets. Followers typically stick to a vegetarian diet based on fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts, and get plenty of exercise. They’re also very focused on family and community.


9. Be a Creature of Habit
Centenarians tend to live by strict routines, says Olshansky, eating the same kind of diet and doing the same kinds of activities their whole lives. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day is another good habit to keep your body in the steady equilibrium that can be easily disrupted as you get on in years. "Your physiology becomes frailer when you get older," explains Ferrucci, "and it's harder for your body to bounce back if you, say, miss a few hours of sleep one night or drink too much alcohol." This can weaken immune defenses, leaving you more susceptible to circulating flu viruses or bacterial infections.


10. Stay Connected
Having regular social contacts with friends and loved ones is key to avoiding depression, which can lead to premature death, something that's particularly prevalent in elderly widows and widowers. Some psychologists even think that one of the biggest benefits elderly folks get from exercise the strong social interactions that come from walking with a buddy or taking a group exercise class. Having a daily connection with a close friend or family member gives older folks the added benefit of having someone watch their back. "They'll tell you if they think your memory is going or if you seem more withdrawn," says Perls, "and they might push you to see a doctor before you recognize that you need to see one yourself."


11. Be Conscientious
The strongest personality predictor of a long life is conscientiousness—that is, being prudent, persistent, and well organized, according to The Longevity Project, coauthored by Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin. The book describes a study that followed 1,500 children for eight decades, collecting exhaustive details about their personal histories, health, activities, beliefs, attitudes, and families. The children who were prudent and dependable lived the longest, Friedman says, likely because conscientious types are more inclined to follow doctors' orders, take the right medicines at the right doses, and undergo routine checkups. They're also likelier to report happier marriages and more satisfying work lives than their less conscientious peers.

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