dryer-sheets

By Sofie Sausser

You've probably heard the tip about putting dryer sheets in your vacuum or bottom of the trash can to keep things smelling fresh. You haven't? Well, it's true. And here are ten additional ways of fluffing up your abode with downy freshness (we always suggest using non-toxic dryer sheets!)

1. Dusting Use dryer sheets to dust blinds, fans or almost any surface. The anti static properties in the sheets will help repel the dust. They are easy to hold and you can dust your laundry room after folding the clothes. Don't forget to dust the TV and reduce static on the screen.

2. Reduce Static Cling Rub on your dress or stockings to keep your dress from riding up. You can also use them on your computer and TV screen. Even rub on your hair to prevent ecstatic flyaways.

3. Pets Rub a sheet on your wet dog to take away the "wet rug" smell after a swim or bath. Towel him or her dry first. You can remove pet hair from your clothes and furniture with them as well.

4. Freshen Gym

Green tea
By Stephanie Rogers.

When trying to lose weight, we tend to fixate on the foods we aren't supposed to eat. We salivate over cheesecake at the coffee shop, eyeball our partners' pizza and dream about cheese, glorious cheese. Instead, shift the focus to the delicious and healthy foods that actually speed up metabolism, aiding in weight loss and preventing the storage of more fat. You might just get so hooked on green tea, yogurt, avocado and hot peppers that you find yourself cheating on your former favorites, not on your diet.

Green tea

If you want to get your metabolism revving, choose green tea over black tea or coffee. Studies have found that green tea is not only packed with flavonoids and antioxidants, it also has thermogenic properties, promoting fat oxidation. That means it helps burn the calories from the food you're eating while you're eating and digesting it.

Apples

That oft-repeated adage about apples and doctors is backed by solid science. Apples are a low-calorie,

By Stephanie Rogers

Our planet is home to about 5 trillion trillion bacteria, a number that seems too huge to contemplate. That may sound scary to people who think of bacteria as nasty little bugs that just want to make us sick, but the fact is, tiny organisms like bacteria, fungi and protists are absolutely essential both to the health of our bodies and to that of the entire planet. Unseen and under-appreciated, these organisms play a huge role in marine food chains, the growth of forests, climate change and our own digestive systems.

Lactobacilli in our digestive systems
We've got ten times more bacterial cells in our bodies than cells of our own. In fact, fully 10% of our dried body weight is made up of bacteria, and most of that isn't the harmful sort that causes infection, illness and tooth decay. Scientists are only just beginning to explore what they're now calling the "human biome," and they haven't yet identified most of the bacteria that our bodies host. But we do know

By Vanessa Barrington

Call it the mid-winter doldrums. If you're tired of returning home after work in darkness, and lacking both energy and inspiration to cook a nourishing meal, how about a warming, healthy, and quick one-dish meal using common (and comforting) ingredients that you might already have in your kitchen? No special shopping necessary. Just good, simple food that you can prepare quickly so you can move onto what you really want to do like draping yourself in a blanket and reading a book. Read on for 7 easy, customizable ideas to serve up to two people.

1. Smashed Potatoes and Garlicky Kale with an Egg on Top
20 minutes
1 large or two medium potatoes
2 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch kale, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan or Pecorino (optional)
1 over-easy egg (optional)

Put the potatoes whole into a steamer basket and steam until tender. Meanwhile heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet, add the garlic and

hair
By Katherine Butler
It doesn't matter if we are raven-haired, red-headed, blonde or brunette. It doesn't matter if our hair is thin, thick, textured or kinky. During the dry winter months, we might as well hook our heads up to outlets for all the static electricity we produce. The cold, dry temperatures of winter can siphon the moisture from our skin and hair like a sponge. So how best to fight back against winter?



Stop washing your hair every day We live in a world where most people make best friends with anti-bacterial wipes. Dirt is the enemy. But so is washing your hair too much. Over-washing can strip important oils from your scalp, resulting in dry, over-stimulated tresses. Plus, what's better for dry hair then your own, natural oils? At the least, try to skip a daily washing. And when you do wash, consider a homemade shampoo like this one from beauty expert Narine Nikogosian: Combine one tablespoon of dried jasmine with one teaspoon of honey with two eggs yolks. Boil the

By Stephanie Rogers

Most of us spend more time with our colleagues and bosses than our partners, kids and friends. If that's not motivation to make sure your job is a good fit, what is? The job you choose can determine how physically and mentally healthy you are, your standard of living, your future prospects and whether you look back at your life at the brink of death and feel like you did your best. Consider these 10 signs that it's time to quit, and you might just set yourself onto a much more fulfilling path.

Just about any task is better than doing your job.

When you're at work, you'll do just about anything to avoid performing the tasks that are assigned to you. You play around on Facebook, browse the internet and organize your vacation photos. In fact, you're happy to perform menial tasks like taking out the trash and running errands for the boss - anything that will keep you away from your job for another five minutes. In other words, your work is utterly joyless for you.

hero

By Rachelle Strauss

How much rubbish did you throw out last year? If you're anything like the average person, you threw away your own body weight in rubbish every seven weeks. But have you ever stopped to think where "away" is? Sorry to tell you it's not some magical place full of rainbows and fairies where everything is transformed into something lovely. No, "away" is a landfill site, an incinerator, or a ship to China. It might even be a turtle's mouth.

turtle-plastic-bag

In the New Year why not make a resolution for the earth by resolving to get your waste to a svelte size zero? It's fun, challenging and, better still, it won't cost you anything. It might even save you money. In 2009, my family set ourselves to the challenge of accumulating no more than one trash can of landfill for the entire year. Here's the result.

bin20092

After having our bin emptied live on breakfast television (what a claim to fame!) and our story spreading around the world we decided to see how low we could go. By the end of the

By Stephanie Rogers

You might think that slice of bread on your plate is necessary to get the fiber you need to be healthy. Think again. Bread isn't all it's cracked up to be, and there are plenty of foods that can give you all the fiber you need on a daily basis. These 10 fiber-filled all-stars including avocados, cinnamon, raspberries and eggplant have far more fiber and nutrition per calorie than wheat, and lots of other health benefits, too. Combine as many as you can in one dish, like black beans with oregano, mustard greens, avocados and barley, for one of the healthiest meals of your life.

Figs
Figs are a deliciously high-fiber fruit, containing 6.58 grams in an eight-ounce serving. You can get dried figs year-round but there's nothing quite like a juicy, fresh fig. These fruits are a great source of calcium and are also high in potassium and manganese. According to a 2008 study, there's another compelling reason to consume figs as often as possible: fiber from fruits may