Try some turmeric to keep you mentally sharp. According to research it may also stave off early stage diabetes. The active compound in turmeric is curcumin, and this is the key to good health. In a study, the people who ate turmeric regularly showed an improvement in their working memory that lasted for at least 6 hours.

Curcumin has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. It is used to treat conditions such as allergies, diabetes and ulcers. It’s now being tested for many different conditions including colon cancer and arthritis. Also for inflammation including heart disease.

Some interesting facts about exercise and weight loss. It isn’t true that strenuous exercise alone will help you lose weight. You need to pay attention to your diet too.

An hour’s intensive workout will burn approximately 200 calories, the equivalent of a couple of biscuits.Your resting metabolic rate accounts for between 60 to 75 percent of your total daily energy expenditure. That means we use up calories just thinking and breathing! A further 10 percent is used up digesting the food that we eat. That leaves 15 per cent that we have control over, and even that depends on our age, hormones, gender, genetic predisposition body temperature and for us girls , the phase of the menstrual cycle.

The  best exercise isn’t intensive, but frequent and moderate. Walking is good but it needs to be fairly brisk. Swimming is also very good for alll round fitness and for increasing lung capacity. Gentle aerobic exercises or classes such as yoga or pilates about three or four times a week.

Combine a healthy diet with a good exercise regime and you will feel better and fitter and the pounds will naturally drop away.