Shaving on and around the penis is being done by males not just for surgery anymore. Just take a look around the locker room the next time you’re at the gym.

Today’s males say shaving the pubic hairs on and around their penis is a way to feel fresh and look neat and clean. And cleanly shaving their shaft allows a condom to slip on and off much easier.

These are very good reasons to support shaving the penis indeed.

But – If a male is being totally honest, he’ll tell you that he is shaving his pubic hair because it gives his penis the appearance of being larger and it gets a lot more, ahem, attention when it’s cleanly shaved.

So for those of you males who are interested – Here are a few things you should know before shaving on and around your penis:

1) Never start shaving your penis unless you’re sober and fully alert. The pubic area is much more sensitive than your face, which means it’s much easier to hurt yourself, so you want your wits about you.

2) And while penis shaving is pretty easy to do, it does require patience and care.

3) If you’re shaving for the first time and have long pubic hairs, trim them with scissors or better yet, a hair trimmer.

4) Take a long, hot shower or bath. This will open the follicles, (the skin depressions from which hair emerges), and soften your naturally coarse pubic hairs to make shaving easier.

5) Pat dry your shaft and surrounding area with a soft, clean towel.

6) Apply a generous amount of a rich lubricant. Allow this to sit for at least 3 minutes before you begin shaving.

7) ALWAYS use a new blade in your razor.

Note: It’s rumored that if you start shaving your general pubic area, testicles, and inner thighs, you’ll get the best optical illusion, er, affect of a larger penis.

If you do decide to start shaving your general pubic area and inner thighs while you’re at it, make sure another new blade is easily available so you can change blades if your razor starts to drag.

Start by shaving the penis in the direction the hair grows, making sure you shave all sides. If it isn’t already erect, gently pull your penis upwards. This will make it easier to shave.

Once you’ve removed all hairs, go back and shave against the way the hair grows. This will give you the clean, close and smooth shave you’re after. But don’t shave the same area more than this second time or apply too much pressure. The last thing you want is a razor burn on your penis from shaving.

After shaving your penis, make sure to completely rinse off any traces of the lubricant with warm water. Then rinse with cold water. This will close and calm the follicles and generally tone the skin.

Pat, don’t rub, your penis dry with a clean, soft towel.

Some males apply a non stinging astringent after shaving. But to avoid any reaction, just lightly dust your penis with a talc free powder or plain cornstarch.

Ultimately, you want to prevent any kind of irritation to this newly raw skin. So focus on keeping it dry and doing what you can to limit initial friction. If you don’t already, wear some loose fitting boxer shorts for a while after shaving.

Many males go as long as possible between shaves in the belief that it will reduce skin irritation. But it’s been suggested that the incoming hair stubble is what causes skin problems, so shaving more often is actually better.

Males who are very physically active are usually shaving every other day.

While it’s a fact that eventually, after regular shaving, the hairs will become weaker and softer and your penis will remain smoother – If you’re not ready, able and willing to follow the regimen outlined here, you probably shouldn’t start shaving your penis.

Because anyone will tell you, there’s only one thing worse than a hairy penis – And that’s a stubbly, scabby penis.

A dry shaver is definitely the safest penis shaver. Do some research and discover the compact shaver that’s designed specifically for safely shaving the penis.

Bodworx International presents hair removal articles, tips, tricks and resources for removal of hair from the entire body. Visit them at their personal shaving website at www.hair-removal-shaver.com for more information.

Menopause is a natural transition all women experience, as natural as adolescence. For your grandmother and great-grandmother, life expectancy was shorter. Reaching menopause often meant that their life was nearing an end. But this is no longer true. Today women are living longeron average, until age 78. How you experience menopause is determined by many factors: attitude, diet, overall health, genetics, and your cultural group. Medical science views menopause as the state of your body after you had completed one full year without having a period. It is most definitely not a disease! By making wise decisions about your menopause and healthy lifestyle, you can make the most of the 20, 30, or more years afterwards!

Attitude

Many women report that they are glad to no longer have their monthly periods and all of the hormonal or just physical issues that accompanied their periods. They feel a freedom from having to be concerned about pregnancy and birth control. There is a sense of more energy, and a sense of freedom that comes without the biological drive to be mother, helper, and nurturer. Many women turn their attention to those things in life they have put aside. Some start new careers or businesses. Others take up creative pursuits like photography or painting, while others travel to places they have wanted to see. These women have a positive attitude.

Those women who dread menopause, see it as unnatural, or a sign of old age (and we all get old don’t we!), have more problems enjoying the transition during perimenopause. They report more symptom issues. Negative attitudes result in negative experiences.

Wake-up Call

Everything is magnified, starting in your perimenopause, then continuing on as you make the transition into menopause. Issues you have not reconciled as a woman will surface for you to deal with. Perhaps long overdue lifestyle changes need to be made. Your body is very smart and it will start to purge any “stuffed” emotions. This means the body does not want to carry these negative thought patterns or habits inside anymore. If you have experienced trauma or hurtful experiencesthe ones unresolved–they will come up. You will remember incidents you ignored or just could not deal with at the time. Maybe you did not have a safe space to work on them. This is the opportunity to let them go. If you understand this purge and welcome it, you will experience an easier transition.

Health issues that have been neglected will also wake-up. Be sure you get thorough check-ups and tests during this time, including dental, vision, heart health, as well as hormones. Health issues are serious to me. I have walked the path of being unhealthy and the path of health. I very definitely choose being healthy. We can implement preventative health. Diet, exercise, clean water, stress management, healthy environment, and no synthetic drugs go a long way in creating and keeping a healthy body.

Spiritual Awakening

You may find that the changes you are making lead you to an awakening spiritually. This happens to many women who welcome this growth. Seek out your local church, take classes in meditation, discover new spiritual thought, or a renewed connection with God. You are a spirit with a body. Approaching your spiritual wellness includes making choices that take care of yourself physically and emotionally.

Proactive Steps

Although menopause is one of the important physical milestones in a woman’s life, many women lack concrete information about what is taking place, and what are the options. It is your right to know your body and be informed. With a proper attitude, diet, nutritional supplements, exercise, and simple lifestyle changes, most of the unpleasant side effects of menopause can be minimized to a great extent. With this knowledge and preparation you can step forward with grace and embrace it!

To make menopause fun and pleasant:

• Make choices to eliminate/reduce stress.

• Create a sanctuary space for yourself where you can meditate, write, draw, or anything that expresses your thoughts and emotions.

• Find an exercise you like and stick with it.

• Evaluate diet and reduce weight, if you have gained pounds over the years.

• Become selfish with your time for yourself. Do more things for you and evaluate care-giving roles.

• Get enough rest and sleep.

• Develop an outside interest or hobby.

• Have joy and fun in your life. If this means making new friends, go do it.

About The Author

Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP is a Doctor of Naturopath, Clinical Nutritionist and Holistic Health Practitioner in the Houston, TX area and Founder / CEO of Oasis Advanced Wellness. A teacher, educator and seminar speaker, she counsels Oasis Advanced Wellness clients on the aspects of getting the body healthy and keeping the body healthy. As a cancer survivor, she is able to relate extensively, both as a patient and a practitioner, to clients suffering from disease. She is also involved in researching new alternative disease treatments and products. Dr. Lanphier is Editor and contributor to the worldwide E-newsletter Advanced Health & Wellness. To receive a free subscription go to: www.oasisadvancedwellness.com. Be sure and visit our hormonal balancing site at www.menopause-pms-progesterone.org and www.oasisserene.com.

staff@oasisadvancedwellness.com

It’s easier to get menopause relief today than ever before. Store shelves and Web sites offer a multitude of products promising menopause relief for the menopause weary. Before buying and/or taking any type of medication, whether over the counter or prescribed, it’s a good idea to explore your options and become educated on what’s available.

In order to begin searching for menopause relief treatments, it’s a good idea to make a list of your menopause symptoms. After you’ve made your list, rate each symptom for its severity and the impact it’s having on your daily living. Different medications and different dosages will give varying menopause relief and are used for specific menopause issues. It won’t do you any good to take a herbal menopause treatment for hot flashes if it isn’t specifically for hot flashes. Many women do not get the menopause relief they need because they’re simply using the wrong medication to treat the conditions caused by menopause.

Another reason many women do not get adequate menopause relief is because their health care providers and physicians are not as up to date on menopause treatments as they might be. So going into your doctor’s office with a list of symptoms and perhaps even menopause home test results can be a big help in letting your physician know what sort of treatment you really need. If you feel your health care provider isn’t all that knowledgeable in regard to menopause and treatments for menopause relief, shop around for one that is. Yes, it’s perfectly okay to change doctors in order to find one who is both up to date on the latest treatments as well as one who will treat the whole you rather than just a symptom or test result.

And don’t forget there’s a great deal you can do on your own to get menopause relief. Exercise, diet, stress management, and adequate sleep are all things that can provide you with a great deal of menopause relief. There are also many books on menopause that will give you strategies and tips for relieving menopause symptoms. Online discussion boards and forums are also a good way to find support that can give you much needed menopause relief. No matter what, don’t give up. Menopause relief is possible if you just keep looking for the treatment or treatments that are best for you.

If you are interested in your health and well being then you will find some great reading at: Health Articles

Perimenopause symptoms are most often experienced by women in their late 30’s, 40’s or early 50’s. The perimenopause symptoms such as fluctuating menstrual cycles can signal the slowing down of reproductive capabilities.

Perimenopause (or peri menopause) can be defined as the time before menopause. Menopause is the cessation of menstrual periods for twelve months in a row. Having symptoms of perimenopause can mean that the woman is getting closer to the age of menopause and the ending of monthly menstrual periods.

Here are common symptoms of perimenopause:

• Changes in the Menstrual Cycle (menstrual flow can be heavier or lighter, longer or shorter time between periods, irregular flow)

• Lumpy or Tender Breasts

• Water Retention, Bloating

• Problems with Sleep

• “Foggy, Fuzzy” Thinking, Difficulty Concentrating

• Anxiety, Mood Swings, Depression

• PMS

• Hot Flashes, Night Sweats

• Vaginal Dryness

• Unexplained Weight Gain

Perimenopause and menopause will affect each woman differently. Your only one of the perimenopause symptoms may be that your period stops. However, you may have one or more of the other symptoms of perimenopause. Perimenopause symptoms can be experienced by a woman for a few months or they can last for years. Since the average age of menopause is 51, symptoms of perimenopause can appear in a woman’s late 30’s, any time in her 40’s or early 50’s.

During perimenopause, many women begin experiencing their first symptoms of hormone imbalance. How does hormone imbalance happen?

According to Harvard-trained physician Dr. John Lee, perimenopause symptoms appear because ovulation occurs less frequently or not at all in the years before menopause. When a woman is healthy and ovulating, estrogen is produced during the first part of the menstrual cycle and following ovulation, progesterone is produced during the latter part of the monthly cycle.

With ovulation required for the monthly production of progesterone, if there’s no ovulation, no progesterone will be produced. With declining progesterone production, perimenopause can be the time women experience the onset of hormone imbalance, causing symptoms of perimenopause.

How can a woman tell if the symptoms of perimenopause are related to hormone imbalance? One way is to take a leading womens clinic test for hormone health and related perimenopause symptoms. The health test is free and it takes just a few minutes.

Copyright 2006 InfoSearch Publishing

If you want to get in shape, do your age in push-ups. Why do your age in push-ups? Well, it’s a good, tangible, precise goal to shoot for and it guarantees you’ll always get better with age.

Most important, this goal reinforces a key fact of physical reality for moms with young children… Your children will keep getting heavier as they age, making the physical care of them harder and harder on YOUR body. Having a fitness goal like “doing your age in push-ups” will keep you ahead of the challenge.

Ok, hopefully you’re on board with this so let’s go for it.

If you’ve never done push-ups before, it’s likely you may not be able to do even one full repetition. That’s OK. Push-ups use stabilizing muscles in a way that’s different from almost any other exercise. You need to condition these stabilizing muscles so you can move on to doing a full push-up. The best way to get you there is with a modification.

How to do a Modified Push-Up

A modified push-up gives your muscles a mechanical advantage until you get strong enough to push your full body weight. There are two primary ways to do this. Both are pictured at the begining of the post.

Modification One: On the ground you do push-ups from your knees instead of your toes.

Modification Two: Do a push-up leaning against a bench, wall or other elevation. The picture shows a StrollerFit class doing this modification from a ledge. (Click on the pic to really see the form)

Once you can do 15 back-to-back modified push-ups, you should be able to do one full push-up.

Full Push-Up Form:

Start in the modified form from the ground, but instead of pushing from your knees, raise them off the ground so only your hands and toes are touching the floor.

- Make sure your back is straight.

- Tighten your stomach

- Inhale and lower your body until your chest is just below your elbows (going lower than that can put unnecessary strain on your shoulders).

- Exhale as you push yourself back up and repeat.

- Get a good rythm. Don’t go too fast or too slow.

- If you still are unsure of how to do a proper push-up, contact a good personal trainer or find someone who was in the military to demonstrate- they’ll know for sure.

> Some people experience low back tightness as they do push-ups. If your back starts to hurt discontinue the exercise and try again in your next workout. Typically your low back muscles condition out of this as they get stronger stabalizing your torso during push-ups. Just don’t push them too hard at first. They’ll let you know when they’ve had enough for the day.

If you feel your back tightening while doing push-ups, it may be that your abs aren’t tight and your back is sagging or arching. Be especially vigilant to keep proper form as you do your last few and hardest reps. This is when most people tend to sag or arch their backs.

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Now that you’ve got the form here’s another tip…

Set incremental goals – set smaller age goals, like doing your baby’s age first, then your cat or dog, then one of the Olsen twins – you get the picture.

*If you are doing push-ups as part of a longer workout, be sure to do them first or at least do them before you start additional exercises for your chest, triceps or shoulders.

Your Basic Mommy Muscle Do Your Age In Push-Ups Plan (Takes 21 minutes or less a week, 7 minutes a workout)

First Set: Warm-up with 10 modified push-ups to get some heat and blood into your muscles. Rest one minute.

Second Set: Do as many push-ups as you can. Rest for two minutes

Third Set: Do as many push-ups as you can. If it’s at least half the number of your first set – congratulations, your workout is over. If you didn’t get there, rest 2 minutes and do one more set of as many as you can. (This technique will keep you making fast forward progress even if you’re having an off day)

*Note – your goal should be to do at least one more push-up on the second set of each workout. Try and do a little better than your last workout each time. Don’t be to hard on yourself if you don’t improve every workout. Fitness development can sometimes follow a one step back, two steps forward pattern. The key is a weekly upward trend.

Keep a piece of paper handy to record your progress and watch your numbers rise. By the way, these workouts should take you no more than seven minutes.

Do this workout 3 times a week on non-consecutive days and you’ll see rapid and steady impovement toward your incremental goals. If your consistent, you’ll be doing your age in push-ups before you know it.

Curt Conrad, CSCS, is Founder and President of StrollerFit Inc. an international product and franchise company that helps parents exercise with their babies. He is author of The StrollerFit ExerBook. His companies have helped thousands of clients enjoy better life through better fitness. http://www.strollerfit.com