Male Sexuality

Doesn’t the sight of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas give you goose bumps? Your heart skips a beat and you wonder what is it about these Hollywood hunks, apart from their perfect face and body that makes heads turn. Well, it is the charm and the charisma that oozes from every pore of their body, that look in their eye or that killer smile which floors millions of women. You may not actually be a Tom cruise or a Meg Ryan, but you could be as devastating and have the same fan following. Only if you perfect the art of flirting.

What exactly is flirting? Flirting is expressing your feeling of attraction via your words and deeds in such a way that the other person is irresistibly drawn to you. Flirting is not practical or direct but cleverly and subtly done through the use of body language, intonations and suggestions. Do you know that all of us flirt but some people are better than others? Here is how men and women flirt. Try incorporating some of these basic moves into your behavior and see your fan following grow:
Five things men do when they flirt:

* Arch his back and puff his chest, usually by leaning back in a chair and putting his arms behind his head. This will be accompanied by a sweet smile.
* Stretch the chest muscles, which is interpreted as a sign of their ability to protect.
* Swaying the pelvis just like Elvis, chances are that he has the hots for you.
* Tugging his tie is a common giveaway. It indicates nervousness.
* Clasping the back of his neck. Other gestures may include pointing his chin up in the air or placing palms on a table or their knees. While the former means showing off his rugged features, the latter is a reassurance of harmlessness.

Five things women do when they flirt:

* Smile: When a woman smiles at her admirer it signals availability and interest.
* Arching eyebrows so as to gaze wide-eyed, or quickly lowering their lids, tucking their chin and averting the gaze.
* Giggle: Normally done by placing the hand over or near the mouth, a sign of youth and submissiveness. This is often accompanied by that slight shrug of the shoulders sometimes interpreted as a sign of helplessness.
* Tossing their mane is something that most men just cannot resist. Or walking with a gentle sway of the hips calling attention to the pelvis and advertising curves.
* Rolling the tongue over the lips signals sexual maturity and interest.

Some people are born flirts, while others learn along the way. If you master these techniques you too could become an ace charmer. All you need is a bit of creativity, originality and subtle body language and you will be a fabulous flirt all your life.

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Most people believe that muscle training makes you big, fat and bulky. Women, particularly, are wary of weight training, assuming that they will develop muscles and look masculine. However, this is a myth. The whole fitness plan aims to build a fit muscular structure that will give you a lot of physical advantages. Besides, it will improve your appearance and posture. Here’s how:

Muscular fitness gives you a better posture, can make you look slimmer and trimmer, because muscles are more dense than body fat, and take less space. Scientific research has shown that done properly, strength exercises do not make a person heavy. Instead you will develop more endurance and strength. Muscular fitness exercises will also help you avoid back pain, increase your ability to work and participate in active leisure.

It is good for women too! Research has proved that strength training can increase their muscle mass, which in turn increases bone mineral density, that is important in preventing osteoporosis. Perhaps more important, strength is as essential to good health for women as it is for men.

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Strength training is no doubt a good fitness pursuit, but only if you steer clear of the myths and misperceptions that surround it. This article will free you from some of these and help you get fit.
Myth 1. Lifting weights makes you, especially women, bulky and muscle bound

This is a myth like any other myth. Lifting weights add muscle mass to your body, which is very different from fat. Inflexibility, which sometimes follows the muscle build up, is not an outcome of developing large muscles. Lack of muscle activity or improper technique is the most common reason for the inflexibility so the term ‘muscle bound’ is inappropriate for weight trainers. Secondly, women naturally cannot look like men or bulk up because of weight training because they lack testosterone that is responsible for the Schwarzenegger-like muscles.
Myth 2. You must workout each muscle individually for better results

It is difficult to exercise more than 600 muscles individually and in fact working out more than these is not beneficial either. In fact, you achieve a better workout by compound moves that are also less time consuming and easy. This really makes the individual muscle workout unnecessary. Moreover compound muscle workout has less chances of injury and is complimentary with day-to-day activities.
Myth 3. Eat more protein to get something out of weight training

Although you need a good quantity of proteins, excess of it of can be ineffective, even harmful. What you need is a rich balanced diet containing all the necessary ingredients rather than only a protein-rich diet. Remember, if you are aiming to lose weight then all your efforts may show no result because of a high intake of proteins.
Myth 4. More repetitions of each exercise is better

Repetition builds endurance, which is a big plus especially if you are involved in sports, but to gain strength you have to lift heavy weights. Your muscles should reach the momentary fatigue to gain strength, which is possible with heavy weights only. So the best way to train is in sets and see that you lift so much weight that it becomes practically impossible to lift more. However, you should increase the weight slowly.
Myth 5. Your muscles will turn to fat if you stop weight training

This is nothing more than a myth and that too a very irrational one. Muscles and fat are two different things and not interchangeable. You cannot turn your fat to muscles and nor can your muscles turn to fat. However, if you don’t use your muscles for long and keep taking fatty foods your muscles will shrink and the fat layer will increase. Remember less of one simply means more room for the other.
Myth 6. Strength training strengthens everything but not the heart

Strength training is good for your heart. Research has shown that it can benefit your heart in many ways such as reducing cholesterol (LDL) and blood pressure and prevents overexertion, which may indirectly become a reason for heart problems and other physical damages.
Myth 7. Strength training reduces flexibility and is not good for weight loss

If done correctly, strength training can actually increase flexibility. The muscles that strength training builds not only boosts your calorie burning rate but actually help in reducing your weight. Reason: the more the lean muscles, more the number of calories burnt and if combined with aerobics, then strength training can be one of the most effective ways of losing weight.
Myth 8. Weight training can help in spot reduction

Spot reduction is anyway a myth and weight training or not you cannot remove those bulges from any particular body part. Fat reduction is overall and no amount of weight training can actually reduce fat exclusively from that particular area. However, you can certainly spot tone. You can build any particular muscle, which can give a slimming look to that particular area. The best way to accomplish all your fitness goals is to design your exercise schedule in such a way that it includes all the basics of fitness from aerobics, flexibility training, endurance training to strength training.
Myth 9: Strength training and body building are same

Strength training is not body building. They are two different things: strength training is gaining strength while bodybuilding is a competitive event where strength is of no value. For bodybuilding muscle size, definition and symmetry determine winners and any relationship to flexibility, strength, endurance, or aerobic capacity is secondary. On the other hand strength training, weight training, or resistance training is for the purpose of improving fitness levels and appearance and for enhancing athletic performance.
Myth 10. Children should not participate in strength training.

Strength training or resistance training is something that children do naturally. You don’t have to lift weights all the time to strength train. When children play they are actually participating in resistance training every time they go outside, even if the game is not a sport. Running, throwing, pulling, lifting, or doing any kind of exercise against resistance is nothing but resistance training.
Let go of these 10 myths in your fitness life and you will be able to enhance your fitness and strength levels considerably.

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Arnold Schwarznegegr’s muscular chest and rippling muscles have inspired an entire generation of crazy fans all over the world. Doesn’t he make you wish, even for a brief second, that you could be blessed as generously as he? Genetics, you can’t exchange, but you can definitely work on whatever you possess. All it needs is a desire to balance your mental prowess with physical strength.

Your chest includes two kinds of muscles: pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. As the name suggests, the pectoralis major is the bigger one of the two and attaches the shoulder to the upper arm. The pectoralis minor is smaller, lies beneath the pectoralis major and is formed in a thin triangular shape. What is important is how to build these muscles so as to make your chest attractive and strong.

The Workout

Before starting, don’t forget the fundamentals of any workout: warm up and cool down. Give some time to warm up and cool down and increase the intensity of exercise slowly. Don’t jump to heavy weights in the beginning, start with lighter weights and gradually increase the weight as you become comfortable with them. Take advice from an expert and try to gauge the weights yourself by lifting them few times before actually deciding about the weights. Exercise in sets and pause for a couple of minutes between each for better results and safety.

It is also a good idea to exercise with a partner, especially if you are working out with weights.

1. Incline dumbbell press

* Lie on an incline bench and see that your feet are firm on the ground.
* Take one dumbbell in each hand and lift straight up to your eye level and bring back downwards.
* Take care of your breath. Inhale while lowering the weight, and exhale when the dumbbells are at chest level. Repeat the action again and take a little pause between the two cycles. Try to keep the tension in your chest while you exercise and particularly try to focus on your upper chest.

2. Bench press

* Lie on the bench designed for barbell presses. See that your back is flat against the bench and the bar at eye level, above you.
* Grip the bar just more than shoulder width with your thumbs either inward or outward.
* Now, inhale and hold your breath as you lower the weight. Push it up back the moment it reaches your chest level.
* Try to keep your elbows at the same axis while working with the weight. Remember do not bounce the weight: it can cause an injury.
* Repeat the cycle till you get exhausted.

3. Flat dumbbell flies

* Take a comfortable position on a flat bench and hold up a pair of light dumbbells.
* Point the weights straight up above the chest so the weights touch each other in a parallel way.
* Slowly lower your arms on each side. To avoid injury keep your elbows slightly bent.
* Repeat the cycle by raising and bringing the weights down slowly. Remember keep the weights under control and try to feel the stretching in your chest.
* Your feet position is very important. Make sure that they are firm on the ground and also avoid any temptation to arch your back.
* You should increase the weight once you feel that you can do with more weights comfortably.

Follow this three-pronged workout and you will soon be on your way to building a colossal chest.

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The numbers are scary. An estimated 3 million people have died of it worldwide and nearly 34 million people are currently living with it. Yes we are talking of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) that dreaded disease that has become an enigma for modern medicine.
What is HIV?

HIV stands for "human immunodeficiency virus" — the virus that causes AIDS. It is only a blood test that can reveal whether you are infected with the virus or not. Remember that this virus can stay dormant for quite sometime even after it is contracted.
What is AIDS?

AIDS is a result of the HIV virus. It is not a disease but a weakness in the body that results in the body being unable to fight off illnesses. The immune system of a person with AIDS is weakened to such a point that medical intervention is necessary to prevent or treat the deterioration in the body and the entire system.
How can I get it?

There are many ways by which you can contact the AIDS virus. Here are some common ways:

* Unprotected sex: This is the most common reason for contracting the AIDS virus. If your partner is infected with this virus then it can enter your system too through the lining of the vagina, vulva, penis, rectum or mouth during sex. However, kissing or hugging will not result in AIDS.
* Through the blood: The second most common way is through blood. AIDS can be contracted through blood transfusions where the blood or its components are contaminated. Even today there are many hospitals that do not follow the safety standards outlined for donating blood and the end result is that infected blood may get passed on to someone else.
* Another common cause is the sharing of needles. When a person uses the same needle that has been used by a HIV infected person then the virus is transferred through the needle. This is commonly seen in drug users and using disposable needles is a viable alternative to this.
* An infected pregnant mother can give the virus to her baby. The chances of the baby getting infected when in the womb or during the birth are high if the mother is infected. It can also spread through the breast milk of a nursing mother.

Myths about AIDS

Remember that HIV and AIDS is not spread by kissing, sweating, urine, tears, sharing of food or food utensils, the swimming pool, telephones or toilet seats. Nor is it spread through the bite of mosquitoes or other bugs. It is the result of our own careless behavior so take care when it comes to any of the above given causes.
What are the symptoms?

Here are a few common symptoms, which may show up when a person gets infected. However, having any of them in isolation does not mean that you have an AIDS or HIV infection. One needs to get a special blood test done to check out the presence of the HIV virus.

* Rapid weight loss and vision loss
* Severe headaches, nausea and vomiting
* Abdominal cramps
* Painful conjunctivitis (pink eye)
* Ear infections
* Dry cough
* Recurring fever, pneumonia or profuse night sweating
* Profound and unexplained fatigue
* Swollen lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck
* Diarrhoea that lasts for more than a week
* Red, brown, pink, white or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, under the tongue, in the throat or eyelids
* Memory loss, depression, lack of coordination and other neurological disorders
* Shortness of breath
* Seizures

How can I prevent myself from being a victim?

Since prevention has always been better than cure the best thing is to follow the following guidelines.

* Never have unprotected sex. Always use condoms.
* Never share needles. Always use disposable syringes.
* When in need of blood transfusions check that the blood has been tested for HIV and AIDS.
* Refrain from having more than one sexual partner.
* Don’t use drugs, alcohol and other intoxicants before sex as it leads to carelessness.

Finally, remember that AIDS is a deadly disease but with a little bit of care and foresight you can avoid it.

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