Sleep

Sleep is an important factor in attention span. Many people fail to recognise the importance of sleep – it’s not just a time of rest; it’s a time which helps our body perform critical physiological functions. Everyone has different needs though, and this can make it hard to work out quite how much sleep you need. Experiment with different amounts of sleep and make a note of how energetic you feel the next day – soon you will be able to work out the optimum amount of sleep that you need.

Breakfast

The overnight fast leaves a lack of glucose in the body therefore it is imperative that you eat something healthy for breakfast to get your sugar levels up. Not eating until mid-morning or lunch leaves your body running on empty and this is really bad for your concentration. If possible, eat something which is fibre and protein rich to give your body the best possible start to the day.

Television

Ration the amount of TV you watch every day. Most TV is just a waste of time. If you have a channel with lots of ads, it breaks the continuity of the program, making you lose your concentration. You may also channel hop which helps makes you fidget and lose concentration.

The Internet

Limit your internet use (this one is easier said than done!) In reality, this depends on how much of your work life is reliant on the internet, but try and look for other ways to do your research and try to avoid sitting for hours on end, surfing in your spare time. The internet tends not to focus the mind, losing concentration.

Meditate

Meditation isn’t just for religious purposes – it is a fantastic way to train and focus the mind. Try to keep your mind as open and blank as possible to enable your mind to be still. You can use meditation as a time to concentrate on your body rhythm and breathing too.

Breaks

Take reward breaks away from your tasks. Breaks are usually distracting unless they are for a particular purpose, so give yourself something specific to do such as checking your e-mails or reading a book. This way, your break will be more fulfilling and keep your mind focused.

Books

Books are an excellent way to build up focus and concentration. Find books on topics that you enjoy – either fiction or non-fiction – but try to stay away from short stories or articles. As you read more, you will find that your concentration increases and you may soon be able to sit down for 4 or 5 hours reading without a break.

In western culture, the wedding dress is normally white or cream. When a bride wears a white or cream wedding dress, the wedding can be referred to as a ‘white wedding’. The white wedding dress can be traced back to the marriage of Queen Victoria and Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840 when Queen Victoria chose to wear white. After the official wedding photos were released, many brides followed her lead and wore a white wedding dress and this tradition has carried on through the years.

In China, red is often the wedding dress colour as red is a the tradtional colour of good luck.

In northern India, many women have red wedding dresses too as this sumbolizes auspiciousness. Green is also a common wedding dress colour as this symbolizes fertility.

Treadmills have benefits such as
- you are able to control the speed you are running at
- you can easily see what speed you are running at
- most treadmills will allow you to adjust the gradient of the treadmill so you can pretend to run up hills
- most treadmills will show you approxmiately how many calories you have burned off
- treadmills tend to offer more shock absorbsion than pavements and concrete so can be better for the joints

However, there are downsides to using a treadmill.
- treadmills can be incredibly boring to use
- treadmills are usually quite expensive
- treadmills can cause injuries if they are mis-used.

One of the factors in a nice smile is white teeth and so many people try to whiten their teeth in order to gain ‘perfect’ teeth. In tooth whitening, oxidising agents such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide are used to achieve the tooth whitening effect.

There are two main methods when it comes to tooth whitening. The first involved applying a high concentration of the oxidising agent onto the teeth for a short period of time. This is a quick procedure, but sometimes risks chemical burns to the soft tissues of the gums. The second tooth whitening method is to use a mouthguard to hold a low concentration of the oxidising agent against the teeth for a long period of time. This is a slower process than the first whitening process, however there is less risk of damage to the soft tissues.

There are risks associated with tooth whitening methods. Some of these risks include:
- damage to the gums
- sensitive teeth
- overbleaching
- the teeth actually darkening in colour

Some toothpastes also have tooth whitening effects. Tooth whitening toothpastes help to remove surface stains by using a mild abrasive in the toothpaste itself. Tooth whitening toothpastes do not contain any form of bleach therefore cannot change the colour of the teeth themselves – they can only clean surface stains off.

Sunglasses can sometimes be used by celebrities to mask identity. Since the early 1950s, sunglasses have been a fashion accessory, particularly on the beach.

There are huge ranges of sunglasses to choose from. Some sunglasses are made for particular purposes, some are purely for show. It is always best to buy reputed brands to ensure that the dangerous UV light is filtered from the eyes, so that you get the maximum benefit.

Prices for sunglasses range dependent on many factors such as the manufacturer, whether they are prescription or not and what materials they are made from. More fashionable sunglasses tend to be more expensive than non-fashion sunglasses.

Advantages of a running machine
- You know how fast you are running
- You can adjust the gradient and speed of the running machine
- Energy expended can be calculated by the running machine
- Running machines be used at home
- Running machines are better than running on pavements as they offer some shock absorption

Disadvantages of a running machine
- Can be boring to run on a running machine
- Running machines are quite expensive to buy
- Running machines need electricity to run
- A running machine can cause injury if not used correctly

Plastic surgery is not new – there is evidence that skin grafts and reconstructive work was done as early as the 8th century BC. India has a long history of plastic surgery with written annuals commenting on plastic surgery from the late 18th century onwards.

The most common forms of plastic surgery are:
- breast reconstruction for women who have had mastectomy
- cleft plate surgery (and palate)
- burn survivor skin grafts
- the correction of the appearance of the body after tumour removal

Perfume extract: 20%-40% aromatic compounds
Eau de parfum: 10-30% aromatic compounds
Eau de toilette: 5-20% aromatic compounds
Eau de cologne: 2-5% aromatic compounds

As the percentage of aromatic compounds decresases, so does the intensity and longevity of the scent. So, perfumes are the best thing to buy if you want your scent to last a long time. However, different perfume houses use different amounts of aromatic compounds in their perfumes, so it can be hard to predict how long a scent will last.

Plants and plant extracts have been used in perfumes for years. Common plant substances used in perfumes are:
- bark, for example cinnamon
- flowers or blossoms, for example rose or jasmine
- fruits, for example apples, strawberries or cherries
- leaves and twigs, for example lavender leaf, citurs leaf or patchouli
- resins, such as frankincense, myrrh or pine
- roots, rhizomes and bulbs, such as ginger
- seeds, such as mace and nutmeg
- woods, such as rosewood, sandalwood or pine

Animal sources are also sometimes used in perfumes. Common animal sources used in perfumes are:
- ambergris: lumps of oxidized fatty compounds
- castoreum: found in the odorous sacs of the North American beaver
- civet: from the odorous sacs of civets
- honeycomb
- musk: normally now synthetic, but originally from the asian musk deer
- rom terpenes: orchid scents

Other natural sources which are found in perfumes include lichens, such as oakmoss and treemoss, and protists (seaweed).

One of the primary ways that weight is measured is using the BMI (Body Mass Index). This is not a fool-proof method of classifying people’s weights, however it does serve as a general rule. BMI is calculated by diving the person’s weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. The standard chart is as follows:
A BMI less than 18.5 is underweight
A BMI of 18.5 – 24.9 is normal weight
A BMI of 25.0 – 29.9 is overweight
A BMI of 30.0 – 39.9 is obese
A BMI of 40.0 or higher is severely (or morbidly) obese

Obesity occurs when more calories are eaten per day than are burned off over a long period of time and in significant quanitites. However, there are some medical conditions and other lifestyle factors which will may be a factor in obesity. These medical conditions include:
- genetic disorders such as Prader-Willi syndrome
- Thyroid problems
- Eating disorders (eg binge eating)
- Some medications
- A sedentary lifestyle with little or no exercise
- A high glycemic diet
- Weight cycling (yo-yo dieting)
- Stressful lifestyle
- Lack of sleep
- Recently stopped smoking

Quite often, there will be more than one factors present in obese people.

Dieting and calorie control combined with mild exercise can help. In serious instances, some obese people may undergo gastric band surgery where a rubbre band is placed around the stomach meaning that only limited amounts of food can be eaten without feeling full. Other obese people may opt to have a length of bowel removed to stop so much fat being absorbed, however this can leave the patient with severe nutrional deficiencies. Surgery is a last-gasp stop and should not be undertaken or considered lightly.

Unintentional weight loss can be caused by many underlying health issues and it is advisable to seek the advice of healthcare professionals should you experience unintentional weight loss.

Weight loss is most often caused by people intentionally trying to lose weight as a drive to increase fitness, health and/or outward appearance. There are many ways in which to lose weight. The main ways to lose weight are:
- through dieting
- through exercise
- through cosmetic surgery (such as liposuction)
- through weight loss pills

There is a huge market built around the weight loss industry and there are a staggeringly large amount of products and regimes to choose from. Some are better than others, and some will only work for some people. The general advice to most people is that in order to lose weight, diets should not be necessary; instead, you should aim for a life-long attitude change towards diet and exercise to ensure you stay slim for life. Eat well and healthily (with the odd treat) and exercise regularly and it should help you lose weight, feel great and keep the weight off for life.

Many diets are short-lived and unsustainable in the long-run, so the best way to long-term weight-loss is just to eat sensibly and exercise often. An easy way to exercise is to walk everywhere, or cycle, instead of going by car. Cutting down on portion size too will also help.