A beautiful poem - and certainly how I like to lead my life

I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning..to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears, 1964-1994
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth..
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars..the house..the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you"d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what''s true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we"ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile..
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life''s actions to rehash..
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Karen  Dawkins, Personal Trainer, Winchester

Just Some of the Detrimental Effects of Alcohol

Most people are aware about the general effect of alcohol on your body. We know that alcohol can produce negative effects on your heart, lungs, liver, brain and memory.

Alcohol affects the metabolism of the body as well, and this effect can lead to other complications later in life.  Metabolism is the collective term for all the chemical reactions occurring in a living thing.  When you drink alcohol, it will interfere with some of these metabolisms, producing harmful effects on your health.

Alcohol mainly affects the fat metabolism of the body.  Alcohol has an inhibitive effect on the amount of fat that your body can use up for energy production. American journal of clinical research has conducted a study and found that alcoholic consumption of merely 24 gm will reduce your body’s ability to burn fat by almost 73%. It has been found that acetate, which is formed in the liver when the alcohol passes through it, is the culprit in reducing the fat metabolism. Instead of fat, the body will start using the acetate as fuel for the body functions.

Alcohol also interferes with vitamin and mineral absorption. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for the proper functioning of the metabolism. When you consume alcohol, your liver will be busy converting the alcohol to acetate, and the absorption of vitamins and minerals are taken over by the de-toxification of the alcohol.

Another affect of alcohol is that it causes excess excretion of magnesium and calcium through urine, which are much needed for the proper functioning of the body.  As the absorption of vitamins and minerals becomes less effective, your body’s immune system weakens, diseases may attack you, and the aging process becomes more rapid.

Another drawback of alcohol consumption is that the alcohol will compete with food to get absorbed into the blood stream, thus preventing the absorption and processing of the nutrients for the metabolic activity. If your body does not get enough nutrients, this can lead to a number of disorders. The strength of the muscles will be lost, and muscle building cannot carried out effectively. You start to gain excess weight and body fat, as the body will be burning alcohol and not fat or carbohydrates.

So ... if you're looking to improve your health and/or lose weight, one easy way to do this is cut down on alcohol.