Health Check

Do you consider your health as an important issue? It’s never too late to start doing so and there are many sites you can turn to for guidance, suggests Hafsa Ahsan

There are quite a few studies which have established that what women mostly search for on the internet, news and magazines, among other things, are ‘health issues’.

This should come as no surprise considering the fact that women are quite sensitive about this issue. The web offers anonymity as well as information from different sources. And, more often than not, individuals using their pseudonyms are usually willing to post their health concerns and experiences online and hence offer advice, relief and reassurance to other women who are going through a similar experience.

You may have come across websites dedicated to common daily life health-related issues and their remedies, as well as specific health concern like sinus, head and back aches. Women Health Questions is one such website that focuses on common health issues faced by women and carries many frequently asked questions.

The question of where to navigate first will be determined by what your chief health concern is. If you are concerned about weight, then you may find the section on exercising helpful, as there are loads of tummy exercises, along with their illustrations, to give people a clear picture of what is to be done and how.

Dieting is very much a part of almost every weight-related discussion or plan. And so is the case here. The section on diets will guide you through the different types of diets which are followed all over the world, along with a step-by-step guide as to how you can embark on a journey towards healthy eating without making yourself miserable.

Apart from weight concerns, most women are faced with some sort of skin problem — usually related to the face. There are different sections devoted to skin issues. Then two sections are dedicated to pregnancy-related issues. One section has detailed descriptions of the symptoms of pregnancy, while another section will guide you through the details and ‘how-to’ of the pregnancy week by week.

The layout of the website is quite uncluttered, as compared to other websites carrying a lot of information on their homepages. However, once you start digging on this website, you will see the layout does get a little monotonous, as only some sections are illustrated while others are mostly text-based.

However, even with all this information, the main precaution remains — never treat websites as an alternative to medical advice. The section on supplements must especially be treated with caution — never intake anything without consulting a doctor. Health-related websites such as this one are always helpful for advice — but your doctor is more credible at all levels.

To get an overview of some of the common health issues faced by women, log on to http://www.womens-health-questions.com/

What’s Your Extension?

Searching and downloading a file extension software may take your time but it can save you from a terrible headache over not knowing weird file extensions’ titles, advises Hafsa Ahsan

How often does it happen to you that you ask for a file to be sent to you via email? You must have made the request countless times and you might also have been struck with some weird file extensions that you may not be able to open.

For instance, you receive an email — you open it and try to download the simple MS Word document, but fail. Then you realise that the extension of the file is ‘name.docx’ instead of ‘name.doc’.

If you are an expert computer user, you will immediately realise that you have an older version of MS Word which will not let you open the file. However, if you are a novice, then you are mostly likely to be stumped than anything else. And this is where websites like ‘File Extensions’ come in. This website has a massive collection of various file extensions along with their definitions. You can look here for the name and description of any file extension which you want to use and know about.

There are three ways to hunt down a file extension. You can search for the extension, which, of course is the simplest; can browse through different file extensions alphabetically, or you can go through the different categories to locate your desired extension. All these file extensions are divided into different categories, e.g. audio files, binary files, database files, document files, system files, text files and many, many more.

This website not only tells you what the file extension stands for, it also lets you know what might be the best software to open any particular file. It also offers links to the homepage of the software which is needed to open that particular file extension, so you do not have to search for it separately.

If you are here mainly out of curiosity, then you should consider browsing the section on the most visited file extensions as well as the section detailing common file extensions.

The website also offers a free scan of your registry — once you do that, it can fix the file extension errors, if it finds any. However, you must remember that editing the registry has its own issues, so use this feature carefully, and it is better if you know how to make a backup of your registry, so that you can roll back any changes if they cause problems later.

As far as the layout of the website is concerned, the homepage can make your head spin. For instance, there is a main left hand menu pointing to the different types of the files extensions, the presence of search boxes, links to the top 10 file extensions and all their title names will add to your headache. However, the good part is, once you locate the search box, you can directly search for your desired extension the next time you visit the website.

Overall, this website definitely comes in very handy when you try to open a file and you get that ever-annoying dialogue box, asking you to specify the software needed to open the file. In that case, go onto this website, search for the file extension, download the required software and that is all. To find out more about different file extensions, log on to http://www.file-extensions.org

No More Dieting

W eight loss is something many people are concerned about. For others, it is an absolute obsession. Whether or not these people actually need to lose weight is another story altogether.

But the fact of the matter is that attaining an hourglass figure is the dream of many a young woman, with few actually stopping to think about the health factor. However, one cannot deny that weight loss isn’t something to be taken lightly. Not taking meals on time or denying oneself the intake of the essential nutrients can easily lead to eating disorders.

There are now scores of different websites which can help you on your quest to lose weight — and ensure that you don’t harm yourself in any way while at it. Weight Watchers is one of those websites and is definitely worth a visit if you are concerned about your health in general and weight in particular.

The best thing about Weight Watchers is that it’s not a passive website at all. If you are just going through to read through it at leisure, it will do nothing to help you. On the other hand, if you are willing to jot down whatever you feel can be implemented in your daily routine and actually attempt to enforce some lifestyle changes, then this website will do wonders for you.

Also, it would be pertinent to remember that Weight Watchers is actually an “offline” group – you will have to pay to access most of the stuff on this website. But fortunately, there are many tips and resources here which are for free. For instance, the Health and Fitness section is a treat for anyone who wants to get into an exercise routine but is stuck for ideas. You can watch sample exercise videos here, read through articles on how to walk regularly and, most importantly, how to make exercise a daily habit.

The Food and Recipes section is also one of the most promising, and here, you can find out why you are not losing weight even if you have been “dieting” for ages. Also, you can get some ideas on how to avoid buying certain types of food at grocery stores, what healthy dishes to cook and more importantly, how to lose weight while eating out.

There is also a whole Community Section here where you can sign up and then login to interact with like-minded people from across the world. You can share your frustration, talk about your health goals, share with others what works for you and of course, get more tips and advice.

At the end of the day, it is all about healthy living. Your figure may not be as perfect as you want, but if your weight is within the normal range for your height, you have a lot to be thankful for. If it isn’t so, and you need to lose it, adopt a sensible approach which is conducive to your health. Starving yourself is definitely not the option.

And to find out how to stop yourself from dieting and STILL lose weight and much more, log onto http://www.weightwatchers.com.