March, 2009
Crazy for Coffee
Posted on March 16, 2009 |
Unless drinking that much gives you more jitters than an opening-night performance, you’re in luck. Studies consistently show that coffee and caffeine reduce the risk of Parkinson’s, and may even protect against
Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Drinking 24 ounces of coffee a day can be good for you. Why? It could be the flavonoids or the antioxidants. (Coffee is America’s biggest source of antioxidants.
We get six times more from joe than from bananas, the largest food source.) That said, stop the java if you notice migraines, abnormal heartbeats
or stomach upset. Our quick coffee tips: At home, use a paper filter (the paper binds to a chemical that increases bad LDL cholesterol levels). If you lighten it, use skim milk (not cream) and skip the sugar. And you may want to add more calcium to your diet or consider a supplement, since caffeine pulls this
must-have mineral from the bones.
SHOULD FLUFFY STAY OR GO?
Posted on March 1, 2009 |
“Your pet will probably be happiest with you,” says Warren Eckstein, host of The Pet Show on wor710.com. Letsgopets.com lists petfriendly lodgings. Bring her toys, bowl and bed, and tote a little dirty (yes, dirty) litter to encourage cats to use a new box.
SITTERS Leave skittish pets with a sitter who will visit two or three times
a day. Check petsit.com. Have the sitter visit first, and leave an unwashed
T-shirt to comfort your pet. BOARDING It can be stressful, so this should be
a last resort. Find a facility at abka.com. Take your dog for a visit before your trip, and ask if there’s a vet on call 24/7.
The Biggest $ecret?
Posted on March 1, 2009 |
Stop spending. Every millionaire we spoke to has one thing in common: Not a single one spends needlessly. Real estate investor Dave Lindahl drives a Ford Explorer and says his middleclass neighbors would be shocked to learn how much he’s worth. Fitness mogul Rick Sikorski can’t fathom why anyone would buy bottled water. Steve Maxwell, the finance teacher, looked at a $1.5 million home but decided to buy one for half the price because “a house with double the cost wouldn’t give me double the enjoyment.”
It’s not a fluke: According to the 2007 Annual Survey of Affluence & Wealth in America, some of the richest people “spend their money with a middle-class mind-set.” They clip coupons, wait for sales and buy luxury items at a discount. No kidding! Talk show host Tyra Banks calls herself the Queen of Cheap and keeps perfume samples from magazine ads in her purse for quick touch-ups. Sara Blakely, founder of the $100 million shapewear company Spanx, gets her hair trimmed at Supercuts. And Warren Buffett, the third richest person in the world, according to Forbes, lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska, home he bought four decades ago for $31,500