The Many Ways Smoking Ruins Your Youth

Smoking is a nasty habit as we all know well, though many are still of the mind that it’s cool, fashionable and the like. But really, what exactly is cool or fashionable about putting approximately 600 chemicals that when burnt transform into 4000 chemicals into your body?

Here’s what happens to your (now youthful) body when you knowingly and willingly destroy it with a dose of 4000 chemicals.

Bags under your eyes

According to a Johns Hopkins study, you’re four times more likely to feeling unrested after a (probably restless) night’s sleep. This is thought to be because of the onset of nicotine withdrawal.

Grey skin

Smoker’s face – don’t know what this is? It was the result of a 1985 study that tried to come up with a name for that grey, sallow look that smokers often possess. This is brought on by carbon monoxide which reduces blood flow and has a tendency to dry out the skin leaving it discoloured.

Premature wrinkles

On average, smokers look 14 years older than non-smokers. This is due to some of the 4000 chemicals preventing your blood supply from moving about your body as it should.

Psoriasis

This is a scaly skin condition that you’re four times more likely to suffer from if you’re a smoker.

Scarring

Vasoconstriction is essentially a condition that causes the blood vessels to narrow which limits the flow of blood en route to the vessels in the skin. As a result, smokers’ bodies are unable to heal as they should and scars form more easily.

Thinner hair 

Smokers generally have thinner hair than non-smokers and they also go grey younger as well. A 2007 study conducted in Taiwan found that men who smoke are twice as likely to go bald as non-smokers.

Tooth loss

A 2005 UK study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology found that smokers are 6 times more likely to develop gum disease which is a prominent cause of tooth loss.

Yellow teeth

Your remaining teeth will turn yellow because of the nicotine and if that isn’t enough your breath will reek – about to light up? You might like to rethink that next smoke.

If you’re not convinced, take a look at this link that shows pictures of twins, one a smoker and the other a non-smoker.

Five benefits of quitting

There are more than five benefits to quitting smoking but as you’re probably anxious to light up we’ll keep things brief.

However, if you’re aware of why you should quit, consider your options including hypnosis at the Harley Street Stop Smoking Clinic in London, the outstandingly effective START method, nicotine gum and patches as cessation aids and books like Allen Carr’s ‘The Easy Way to Quit Smoking’.

1.   You’ll look better, healthier and younger

As has been the point to this article, smoking damages your health in so many ways. When you quit you’ll look better, healthier and younger – isn’t that a reason in itself?

2.   You’ll be happier

Less anxiety, no craving for nicotine and improved health – who wouldn’t feel happier?

3.   Women will live a decade longer

There was no mention of men, though women certainly have something to look forward to if they quit!

4.   You’ll improve your pregnancy chances

NBC News recently reported that female smokers are 60 percent less likely to be fertile, plus smoking has been linked to higher rates of spontaneous miscarriages.

5.   A better sex life

There’s a link between decreased sex drives in both men and women and smoking, not to mention a reduction in sexual arousal – do you need another reason to quit?

Related source: Guide to Quit Smoking

About the Author:

A clinic that offers smokers a quick and easy way to quit, Harley Street Stop Smoking in London utilises the power of hypnotherapy in helping people achieve a healthier lifestyle.

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8 Tips for Motorcycling Mums and Dads

Some people are only interested in travelling on two wheels until they can afford to buy a car but for others, motorcycling is a lifelong passion. If you belong in the latter group and are now at an age where you have a spouse and kids to consider, the eight tips below should help you to enjoy guilt-free motorcycling for many years to come.

image:carolenash.com

1. Take an advanced riding course. It is only natural that your family will worry about the possibility of you being involved in an accident when you are out on your bike and taking an IAM advanced riding test could reassure them that you know what you are doing. At the very least, it will equip you with new skills and enable you to enjoy your riding even more. Many of the motorcyclists who successfully complete such courses believe that they are better equipped to avoid accidents afterwards.
2.  Have your machine maintained by an authorised dealer. Whilst there may be a local mechanic who lives down the road and who knows everything about bikes, your family will feel better if you take your motorcycle to an authorised dealer when it is time for a service. Because they are trained to deal with the particular make and model that you ride and only use genuine parts when carrying out repairs, the mechanics who work at such dealers can normally be trusted to do a first-rate job.
3. Pay for the best cover you can afford. Even if your family are confident in your ability to ride a bike and stay out of trouble, they may still worry that an unfortunate accident could end up costing you, and ultimately them, a lot of money. Buy acomprehensive motorbike insurance policy to ensure peace of mind for the whole family and to make sure that you are not left with a hefty bill to pay in the event that you are involved in an accident and are deemed to have been at fault.
4. Invest in high quality safety gear. Don’t buy the cheapest helmet you can find, just to comply with the law. If you value your head, buy the highest quality helmet that you can afford and invest in a thick leather jacket too. If you go for a design that features a pocket for a back protector, you can buy one of those too and wear it whenever you are riding. If you already have a decent jacket but it does not have anywhere to put a protector, you can buy ones that come with their own breathable liner and that can be worn underneath a leather jacket.
5. Never drink and ride. This point probably doesn’t need to be made to the majority of motorcyclists who have a family that depend on them but it is so important that I felt obliged to at least mention it.
6. Fit high quality tyres to your machine. Lower quality rubber may be cheaper and may even perform quite well in the dry but in wet weather conditions, a cheap, inferior set of tyres could let you down. Do yourself and your family a favour and don’t skimp when it comes to rubber.
7. Wear a high visibility jacket at night. To make sure that you can always be seen by other road users, wear a luminous safety jacket in poor light conditions.
8. Avoid known accident black spots. No matter how confident you are in your machine and your riding ability, it makes sense to avoid these roads. You can download the location of local accident black spots to your GPS system, to make it easier to avoid them when you are out on your bike. Your family will thank you for being extra careful.

Most of the above suggestions are basic common sense but I think it is worth reading through the list a couple of times every now and then as it is easy to get carried away with the excitement of a forthcoming ride and forget the rules that have kept you safe and sound up until this point. Use your common sense and you can enjoy motorcycling and a happy family life too.

Author: A company that is based at offices in Dublin and Altrincham and have more than 300 staff at these sites, Carole Nash is a reliable provider of motorbike insurance policies in the country.

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Laundry Service

How often do you use a laundry service? I use laundry service when I need to clean things that hard to clean with our home washing machine such as pillows, thin rugs and curtains. Clothes made from soft fabrics will be washed by hand.

Here, cheap laundry services usually located near housings and colleges. While the exclusive and expensive ones can be found at malls. I took shots of an exclusive laundry service. The wide and clear glass walls allow me to see stuffs and the activities of the employees there.   

Blue ironing boards

Blue Monday

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At the Vet

This morning my brother and SIL brought our three cats to the vet nearby for regular check and bath. After lunch I went along with them to visit a relative who just have a baby and then we dropped by the vet again to fetch the cats.

I took some shots inside but sadly most pics are blurry.

The vet treated Juno's skin disease. 

One of cat patients there. She's been operated to take her babies.

Do you watch any TV series about vet? I often see series of Bondi Vet. 

This Australian factual television series follows the activities of Dr. Chris Brown at a commercial veterinary clinic and emergency veterinarian Dr. Lisa Chimes at the animal hospital. Also featured are Dr Andrew Marchevsky, specialist surgeon at SASH and Tim Faulkner at the Australian Reptile Park.

Watching every episode makes me smile, laugh and cry as well.  

Dr. Chris Brown and a patient- image:en.discovery-distribution.com

My entry for Camera Critters  and Saturday's Critters

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