sophie274

I really don't enjoy exercising at all, but I do enjoy being slim. So: - you can join a class at a gym. I'm doing power yoga right now and it's REALLY hard, quite a good work-out. Having a set time/place with others might help. - get a work-out buddy. Walking will be more fun if you can chat, plus you can't just cancel on your friend, so you'll have to work out every day. - find some form of working out you like better: hiking, swimming, belly dancing, dancing, or get a video you really enjoy at home - get some weights at home so you can do things without having to go all the way to the gym and without having to leave the house - write down the reasons why you want to be fit: better health, playing with grandkids, etc ... and remind yourself of them when you want to quit - train towards a long term goal: ex, work out for a few months so you can get fit to go on a hiking trip or walk/run a marathon - work exercise into your daily routine - ex walk to the store, go on an active outing with friends/family, playing with children can also be a great work-out, gardening. Good luck!

I've been on it for about 9 months. It's worked fine for me, no side effects really.

Hi, I'm 15 years old. My boyfriend and I had started having sex October 17th(I lost it to him,) and just started using condoms... I've been having pregnancy scares since then. I try to convince myself that they're just stress symptoms because some of them are (headaches, backaches, fatigue.) But some aren't from stress (discharge, darker colored areas on my breast, bloated feeling) and my period isn't supposed to come until the end of the month. I've researched it and all the symptoms with my boyfriend, and I think we may be just psyked out. Im only 15, i really can't hold that responsibility. And if I am pregnant, how do i break it to my family, they don't know anything of what I've done. I Love him to death, and plan on having children with him someday, but not now. I don't know what to do, I'm so confused. Please help. This is your post from a few days ago. Has anything happened since then? Why do you think you are pregnant? From the information you gave in this post, it's way too early for you to be worrying about pregnancy, especially if you haven't missed a period yet. A lot of "pregnancy symptoms" are just the result of worrying, and are more psychological than real. You're obviously quite scared over this. If I were you, I would ask my mother to drive me to take a pregnancy test. Yes, she might be angry, it will be awkward, but ultimately she (I assume!) loves you and wants the best for you, and that includes helping you out on this issue. If you are close to any other adults, you can ask them as well. The fact is, you sound like, and at 15 you probably are, in way over your head. Now is the time to ask for help.

Wow. I'm curious as to how you investigated/found out that it was a hoax. Can you tell us?

Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm not jewish) but I think you can re-kosherize pots by putting water in them and having it boil over?

Hi Since you mentioned you used to be interested in a career in medicine: I am starting my training as an EMT (emergency medical technician) in a month or so. I am in the US but I'm sure you have something similar in England. Basically an EMT is the person who goes to the scene when someone calls the emergency number, and gives first care and basic life support. The training is almost entirely practical (ie no organic chemistry!), and everyone I know who has done it loves it. I am training to be a volunteer EMT (I am studying at a university), but you can also work as a paid EMT - your training is just longer. It's the sort of job you could do for a few years while deciding whether you want to go to university or not (I am in favor of going though), and if you decide you like it/don't want to go to University, you can upgrade (at least in the US) to a paramedic, who can perform more advanced life support and is also paid more. Just a thought. As to the relationship: my sister just broke up with her boyfriend. Their relationship had lasted 2 1/2 years, over 2 of those long distance. LONG distance: 9 time zones! Although they did just break up, the break up was over incompatibilities that have been there for a while - they too were talking about marriage and their values were too different in the end - not because of distance. They don't regret giving it a try. Good luck!

You can use spermicide - just put it on yourself and inside her vagina. You could also use a female condom or a diaphragm, but those do not offer very good protection (I think in the 80% range), and they are no more convenient that stopping to put on a condom. When I started having sex with my boyfriend, we used pills/condoms, and then, because we were curious, just the pill, for about a month or so. (Note: we were both virgins in all manner of sex). But I was WAY too nervous with just the pill, so now we ALWAYS use both, and I don't worry about getting pregnant at all.

Make your girlfriend get tested before you have sex with her. It's a completely fair and ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY request. If she does have an STD, I guess your two choices would be to either have sex with a condom, or not have sex at all. The testing is really not a matter of trust or not. She does not necessarily know that she has an STD, and safety is number one. Sex will not be fun if you're wondering whether you're getting AIDS while you're getting it on. If you really don't want your girlfriend to get pregnant, I would recommend using condoms as well as the pill. If you REALLY don't want a baby, and especially if you do not want to abort or give a baby up for adoption, then using condoms will increase your peace of mind. This would also be an added precaution for any STDs that might not have turned up in the tests (if she has had sex in the past 6 months). The pill can cause weight gain in some women, but I think it's a fairly low occurrence (compared with the Depo shot at least). She can shop around if she feels terrible on one kind of pill. Also, if she has trouble remembering to take the pill every day at the same time, again, safety comes first: there are other options such as the vaginal ring, or the patch which stay on for longer.

The thing is, good schools are interested in "cool" individuals. People who are well balanced, people who are extraordinarily good at one thing, people who bring an interesting story with them. Don't do things to get into college. Do them because you like them. Trust me, they can tell the difference. A lot of schools want to know that you are very invested in something and that you will continue that at their school and add to the mix of things that are going on. I also think essays make a whole lot of difference. Virtually everyone who applies to the best schools has a great GPA and great SAT scores and a resume 30 pages long. I attend an Ivy League school, and every year they make a point of saying that they rejected many people with 1600 (I guess 2400 now) SAT scores and 4.0 GPAs. The people they accept are the people whose applications they read and about whom they think "Wow, I want this kid to be my roommate". If course, they need their share of physics geeks and football jocks, but I'm convinced that's mainly what they're looking for. Finally, do your best but don't freak out. Work on the part of the process that you control - your grades, your application - but don't worry about the selection. There's nothing YOU can do about that. Every year great students don't get in and not so great students do. It's not about YOU, it about YOUR APPLICATION. And sleep! Teenagers need at least 8 hours a night. Well-rested people are happy. Colleges like happy people. PS: Your high school does not need to be impressive. Colleges know about private schools, and while more people from them may get in to high ranked colleges, that's also because most of them were EXTREMELY good students before going to private school - so they're sort of the top of the top, academically. Colleges have quotas for these well-know private schools - EVERYONE applies to the Ivies, and of course, only a certain number can get it. You will absolutely not be disadvantaged by your high school. Good luck!

Exercise really helps me fall asleep - I used to be on a ski team for school, and in the winter when we skied outside in the cold for 2 hours/day I would be knocked out at 10. Also, being properly fed and watered, and going to the bathroom as the very last thing I do before I go to bed. If you have things on your mind, you might want to start developing a "bedtime routine". Find a routine that will allow you to relax (ex. taking a bath, then removing make-up etc.., getting into PJs, then reading a magazine for 10 mins) and do the same routine every night, which should a - give you time to relax before going to bed and b- the routine will eventually be a signal for your body that it is time to go to sleep. Finally, avoid caffeinated drinks.

I think you've already gotten a bunch of great advice, but if you have a bit of money to spare (and I know that you might not), you could do something like an Outward Bound course (or similar since you live in England) with her. I did one when I was 16 (I am now a few months short of 19) and it was really fun, and empowering, and had me so excited for trying new things once I got back! There are week-long father-daughter courses which I've heard are good, and that way it would be both a time for you two to bond some more and maybe to spark some interest in her. Just a thought!

Hi BellaDonna I'm currently working in a hospital as a nursing assistant in a cardiology ward (24 patients), and they almost all get coronary angiograms and angioplasty. I've been there for 6 weeks, and only one person has had complications (a 92 year old man who had already had a heart attack, had another heart attack afterwards and died a few days later). I think I can say it's fairly safe. Some of the risks/side effects you brought up: If someone IS allergic to the contrast solution, they have an "antidote" there readily available for injection. I asked, and no one has heard of any severe complications due to allergy. Bleeding: A few of our patients have bled from the catheterization site: the doctor has come right away, put enough pressure on the wound ... not much harm done. A few of them have needed blood transfusions, but no one has lost enough blood that there was a risk of severly low blood-pressure and circulatory system failure. Of course something always COULD happen, but I think your grandmother has the greatest chances of being absolutely OK, being able to go home soon after, and enjoying the rest of her life!

My mother tried for 3 years before she got pregnant with my sister at 33, but then got pregnant with me while she was still breastfeeding my 6-month-old sister! (Breastfeeding is supposed to be a natural form of birth control - typically about 98% effective I think!) I think it can sometimes be a tad random, and works a lot better when you are relaxed about it - the body does not like stress.

Honestly, I totally understand where her parents are coming from. I went to boarding school and am now in college away from home, but I'm pretty sure my parents would not have allowed me to have my boyfriend spending the night. I am now a sophomore in college, and after having been away from my boyfriend for 2 months he is spending a week's vacation at my house. You sound like you might be going off to college soon: if so, that will give you opportunities for "intimacy". How long have you been dating? If it hasn't been that long, sticking to going-out dates shouldn't be too bad.

This sounds to me like a heart problem. I don't want to scare you, but it could be serious. Of course it could just be muscle aches, but left chest pain with trouble breathing spells heart issue to me. If I were you, I would go to an ER pronto. Better safe than sorry!

I can understand how you would blame your boyfriend (after all he was driving!), but you could have also told your boyfriend to slow down, and you really should have been wearing your seatbelt, so I'd say your both at fault. However, that's not really the issue: no matter whose fault it is, you're still resentful. I currently work at a hospital as a nurse's aid, and I see how frustrating it is for the sick patients who can't do anything themselves, and a lot of them, who are charming people when they first arrive, get really angry and aggressive. So I'd say that part of your feelings are totally "normal" and common. Once you start regaining your full mobility and capabilities, you'll probably feel less resentful. Has your boyfriend apologized to you? Maybe you could ask him for an apology, and for you, knowing he recognizes his part in the accident might ease some anger. Since you have time to think about these things, you could also recognize that you were very lucky, since it sounds like your injuries are all temporary, and that you will soon be able to go back to a normal lifestyle. You could also try spending time with your boyfriend just doing regular things, and promise yourself that you will try not to think about the accident, try to be kind to him, and try to have a good time. Do something you enjoy. Spending quality time with him might help you remember why he's your boyfriend, why you're crazy about him, and that it could be worth it to put the accident behind you. I'm really sorry this happened to you, it does sound really scary, and I hope you're able to move past. I agree with shes2smart that counseling is a good idea.

I've read your other thread, and I think the problem is on both sides of the relationship. Yes, she lied to you about the number of sexual partners you had had, and she has actually had 3 more of them than you. However, you also say in the thread that now you feel like you should get the score even! This might be one of the reasons she lied to you. Also, after you cheated on her (twice!), she could very well have some trust issues with you, and that may be a reason why she would not want to come clean with you about her difficult past. Either way, I think you need to decide whether you like her enough to want to work on having a healthy relationship with you, and she has to decide the same as to her relationship with you. If you both decide you want to continue, then she needs to be honest with you, and I also think you should not berate her about her number of sexual partners. You say you have had 7 yourself - that's not a huge difference.

Honestly, I would try to make her like me. I'm not sure if anything provoked this outburst of hers, and maybe she is a little crazy. But I'd say men tend to be very faithful to their mothers, and it is a very bad idea to criticize her in front of him or try him to "take your side" against her. Since you don't have to see her that often (I'm assuming), just be pleasant and nice to her - resist the urge to be cold. I think if she senses some good vibes coming from you she may soften.

I would wait a bit and re-test. It's quite possible that you ARE pregnant, but that the tests did not detect it, as you took them rather early. Other than that, since you just started taking the pill, that would prevent your period from coming, so you would just skip a period - I'd say what you're experiencing is normal.

Hi When my sister was about 19 she got very lumpy breasts, and the doctors just did a mammogram and there was nothing. Afterwards she went on the pill and her breasts have been "normal" since. I think waiting a few weeks should be ok, but she should definitely get it checked out.

I would find it really cheesy. I would much rather get a real kiss. Also, although called a handkiss, you never actually touch the hand with your lips. That would of course have been extremely inappropriate when the handkiss first came about, and it is still done this way today.

Hi My boyfriend and I are also in college and also apart this summer, for two months before he comes to see me. I also like to talk to him every day, even if it's not for very long (it's a bit complicated as I am abroad). At first I felt kind of neglected because he didn't seem to be making as much of an effort to stay in touch as I was, so I told him how I felt, and since then it's been great! You might want to talk to him and ask him if you guys can try to talk at least every 3 days or so. You can also stay in touch via e-mails and letters: I love getting those, and they might work better if he is not a phone person.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to look your best, whatever your best is. You shouldn't have to look like the latest girl on the cover of whatever fashion magazine is out, but I personally enjoy feeling put together and attractive. And I also want my boyfriend to like both my personality, sense of humor, kindness and the way I look, and that doesn't involve crash diets or starving, but just being well groomed. I also think people tend to associate a well-put-together exterior (cleaned, dressed in properly fitting clothes, smelling nice, orderly hair etc) with qualities such as maturity and responsibility, which can be very important when meeting new people or interviewing. Again, this isn't about looking like a Barbie doll, but about looking "nice".

I can sort of identify with both "sides" here. I think what you're doing is absolutely normal, and of course when you are in the habit of eating healthily a bunch of fatty sweet foods probably don't even seem appetizing. I do see though, how some of the other guests at this bbq might have been miffed. First of all, they probably felt a little insecure, especially if they were all overweight and you are super fit and they see you making the choices that they should be making: I could see how they could get defensive. Of course this is not your fault at all, but it probably means you need to be extra tactful when explaining your choices. It might work better to just say, as RayKay suggested, that you're really full already, that your stomach feels a little upset, etc ... Talking about "health reasons" might make them more insecure about the bad choices they are making, and might also seem to them like you are looking down on their choices. Good luck, food is always a tricky issue!

Hi I've been following this thread. I'm sorry about your grandmother, hopefully she will come around, especially once she sees her adorable grandson smiling at her, but if not, at least you told her the best way possible and you have a lot of support elsewhere. Glad to hear everything is going well with Ian, and best of luck with the rest of the pregnancy!