Dear avid readers, we know you just can't wait to get your hands on our next issue. Well, now is your chance to get your copy! It's out on newsstands, today!
It's breast cancer month and Pink is the theme color. You might be wondering and asking yourselves; "How can this affect us? We're men." Yes, that's partly true but as we all know, men aren't the only sex on this planet and we need the other sex to survive.
This goes out to all the mothers, sisters, wives, girlfriends and grandmothers - take them down to Prince Court Medical in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow at 9.30 am till 2pm.
There will be showcase discussions on Breast Cancer Awareness and also proper breast care and treatments. The event also has Mohana Gill; a renowned gourmet author who will be presenting simple cooking demonstration and educating public on importance of eating fruits and vegetable.
Early detection is vital and prevention is always better than cure. Men shouldn't turn a blind eye on this matter as well. There have been cases of men who have fallen victim to breast cancer - in Malaysia! So, spend a couple of hours with the experts and input all these useful info for a better tomorrow.
EXTEND THE ENCOUNTER One of my best first dates was with Jamie, a writer I found on crazyblinddate.com. I asked Marty Savarick, author of 101 Ways to Stop Hating Dating, how to keep things interesting on a blind date. "Try changing locations midway through. It will re-energize the mood and create a sense of shared adventure," he said. My first thought when I met Jamie was, We'll be lucky to move past one drink. Other women I'd met with her look—tiny, blonde, cocktail dress—were a bit boring. But she proved to be edgier than I'd expected. "I may look like a vapid L.A. girl, but inside I'm smart and overweight," she joked. After some drinks at a hotel bar, we were both restless, so I suggested moving to a cool little restaurant famous for its delectable Venezuelan arepa sandwiches. She loved it. We ended the evening with a kiss, and went out three times in the following 2 weeks.
YOUR BATTLE PLAN Set up locations so things flow from casual and fun to romantic and intimate, suggests Christian Hudson, creator of the dating Web site thesocialman.com. No need to mention the second spot when you set up the date—just have it in your back pocket should the situation arise.
KNOW WHEN YOU'RE BOMBING Ever been on a date that you thought went great, only to never hear from the girl again? I found myself on the other side of this scenario thanks to Lindsay, another woman I met through crazyblinddate.com. She was cool, but I wasn't physically attracted to her, so I found myself smiling tightly and chuckling a lot, just to be polite. After an hour, I said I had to head out. The next day Lindsay e-mailed me a sweet note. I never wrote back.But I was bothered by my date with Janice, a Web editor who seemed really into me only to leave after an hour for a work call—at 9 p.m. According to Julie Albright, Ph.D., a sociologist and relationship expert at USC, my experience with Lindsay mirrors what many women go through on unsatisfying dates. "Women generally smile a lot to mask negative emotions, so she may do that during your long, drawn-out story that she actually finds boring," Albright says. YOUR BATTLE PLAN To find out if she is truly into you, look for signs that actually mean something. "Drinking lots of alcohol, touching you, heavy eye contact, and leaning in toward you are all good signs," Hudson says. "If she ignores her cellphone, that's a great sign." Receiving these signals? Try touching her hand. If she doesn’t pull back, then you've probably won her over. It was, of course, a terrific 10 days. I landed second dates with five women, and three I really liked extended beyond that. I owe this to my support team's killer tips, plus one or two of my own. I’m a firm believer, for example, that at the night's end, if you want to see her again, go for the kiss. She may slap you, in which case you never had a chance. She may present a cheek, in which case she'll still give you credit for trying.
SURPRISE HER WITH QUESTIONS First-date conversations follow predictable lines-where you're from, what you do for a living. I stuck to this script, but on one date, out of boredom, I switched things up. It began when I asked Janelle, a curvaceous public-relations rep I'd met through work, what, as a child, she wanted to be when she grew up. Her response-MTV veejay-not only gave me insight into her personality, but also provided an opening for me to share my childhood dream: At age 12, I'd started a band called Stiff Lederhosen. We made one recording before I realized I could neither play guitar nor sing with any skill. Janelle laughed, so I followed up with more fresh questions. We talked about what kind of animals we'd like to be, what kind of superpowers we'd love to possess, and other whimsical topics. These unexpected questions allowed her to open up. And because the questions grew increasingly flirtatious, our chemistry bloomed.
YOUR BATTLE PLAN "Every man I know who is good with women has a host of stories, questions, and jokes that elicit good responses," says Charles Orlando, author of The Problem with Women . . . Is Men. "Meeting and dating takes time and is competitive, so come prepared."
You showered and shaved. But if you want to see any action, you need to put your basic instincts through basic training BY STEVE MAZZUCCHI
So you scored the number of that singular beauty at the party. Congratulations. Now comes the hard part— winning her over on your first official outing together. What happens during that critical meeting will nudge her toward a close encounter—or toward the door. To see what works and what doesn't, I created my own first-date crash course, cramming 10 of these sublimely stressful adventures into 10 straight days. I went out with women I'd either met on my own or been set up with through friends or online. We had coffee, went out for dinner, took in a ball game, and, a few times, got soused. After each encounter I checked in with my advisors, a team of seasoned dating experts, to dissect what had happened (or what hadn't), and why. In some cases, I swung and missed. Though it wasn't always pretty, I uncovered a few key secrets to turning first encounters into second, third, and possibly more outings. Read on, and date like a man who’s been there before.
START SOMEWHERE OLD Poor Shana. This cute brunette actress, a friend of my friend Darcy, was my unfortunate first date. We met for dinner at a French restaurant I'd never set foot in before. "So, what's good here?" she chirped. "To be honest, I don't have a clue," I replied. Her blank look spoke volumes. She wasn't impressed. Then came a bored, dawdling waitress. Then some bland crêpes. I was the very definition of l’incompétent. I felt foolish. The venue was one aspect of the date I could control, and it was proving to be more of an annoyance than an aphrodisiac. After dinner, Shana said she had to meet up with some friends, and split. Ouch. To bounce back, I turned to Paulette Kouffman Sherman, Psy.D., the author of Dating from the Inside Out. "We're at our best when we're comfortable," she said. "So go where you've been before—even with other women. Something as simple as a terrific burger place can still produce great energy." A couple of nights later, I took Mandy, a nicely built and athletic book publicist I’d met at a party, to, yes, my favorite burger joint. I've eaten there often, so I had no problem scoring a great table. When she asked, "What's good here?" I replied, "You'd be crazy not to try the béarnaise burger, medium rare, with french fries and a bottle of beer." She did just that, took one bite of the burger, and raved, "Oh, wow, this is amazing." It wasn't long before our eyes were locking and our hands were wandering. Afterward, she asked, "Want to walk me home?" and that's where we wrapped up our evening. YOUR BATTLE PLAN "Most men don't do this, but creating and repeating successful date templates is critical," says Eric Ivy, author of The Dating Matrix. Befriend the maître d’s and bartenders at your favorite places, he says. They can hook you up with prime tables and drinks to help you impress.
Do we really know what we want in a mate? In a Dutch study, 760 men and women took personality tests and clearly showed a desire for long-term partners with traits similar to their own. But when explicitly asked about their desires, 86 percent said they wanted a complementary partner. Why the disconnect? Researchers say that dating someone similar feels boring, so people fall back on popular romantic-attraction theories (like "opposites attract"). Heads up — women like responsible, hardworking, extroverted men, the study showed.
The pain gain Rheumatoid arthritis rates among U.S. women are raising, the Mayo Clinic reports. Since 1995, they have grown to almost double the rate in men, which has stayed constant. The cause isn't known. ADVANTAGE: MEN
The color red turns men on. Researchers from the University of Rochester had 149 men look at pictures of women wearing white, gray, blue, green, and red shirts. The guys ranked the red-clad women as more sexually attractive. Researchers believe this is a biological response reinforced by society's linking the color with sex and romance. "I think women tend to use red lipstick, lingerie, and nail polish partly because they know men respond to it more than to other colors," says lead author Andrew Elliot, Ph.D.
Dirty girls Women have more types of bacteria on their hands than men do, says a University of Colorado study. Women's skin is less acidic, so it supports a wider range of microbes. Possible reasons: hormones and cosmetics. ADVANTAGE: MEN
Time is precious and time is also money. We wouldn't want to waste your precious time by reading a whole lot of text just to get what we wrote under the relationship column, so here are One-word answers.
Curvy or athletic women: who are most superficial? CURVY (Evolution and Human Behavior)
What should you indulge in daily to improve the quality of your sperm? SEX (Sydney IVF Foundation)
What type of acts do women find the sexiest? CHARITABLE (Newcastle University)
What taste do men like to find on women’s lips? RUM (Smell and Taste Treatment Research Foundation, Chicago)
A sweet tooth can turn you into a bedroom flop, say researchers from the University of British Columbia, Canada. They found that a diet high in sugar can lower your testosterone levels, which undermines your erections and zaps your sex drive. Sugar creates a domino effect: your triglycerides go up, your sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) goes down, and your testosterone goes into hibernation. Being deficient in SHBG sends signal to your body to stop making testosterone altogether," says study author Geoffrey Hammond. High blood sugar can also damage sperm and up the odds of birth defects, says the journal of Urology Times. Swimmers of men with high blood sugar had 20% more mutations than healthy men. So, just swear off the sweet stuff to make your glucose levels dive, and your testosterone come soaring back.
Lost in her gaze
If you find locking eyes with her a struggle, it might just be that you're feeling dominated, anxious or shy. When you do you "look away as an attempt to regain control, disengage and limit how much information you take in," says John Dovidio, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Yale University. So the next time you two are alone, first make a conscious effort to rein in your addled emotions. If you're still struggling, take the advice of body language expert, Patti Wood, M.A., and split your attemtion among her mouth, eyes and cheek." This makes wondering eyes less obvious. And don't stop trying: University of Colorado researchers found that meeting her gaze makes you seem powerful.
High heels improves sex While just the sight of a vertiginous stilettos is enough to get your pulse racing, those heels are also giving her libido a boost. Researchers at the University of Verona, Italy, have found that wearing high heals increases a woman's pelvic floor or "pleasure muscle" strength, which in turn increases sexual sensation. The researchers say the ideal heel size is two to four inches - any higher and she'll be moaning with blisters, not bliss.
Give fever a kiss-off A new vaccine can halt glandular fever, better known as the kissing disease, says the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The jab works by blocking the protein that helps the virus get inside your cells. When the virus takes hold, it attacks you salivary glands, your white cells and your immune system, leaving you weaker than a puppy. Doctors hope the vaccine will be offered by GPs sometime this year, but in the meantime you can greatly reduce your risk of glandular fever by taking a supplement to boost your immune system, or by being a bit more choosy about who you next share those intimate moments with.
Last week we posted our MH Woman, the ever so bubbly Denise Keller's opening video for you to get familiar with. Now here are more videos of her to further rev your engines. Don't forget to find out all about her in the March issue of Men's Health.
Stroke her ego, stoke her fire:Confidence is an aphrodisiac. Where do women get their sexual self-assurance? Seventy-five percent of the 1,300 women we asked say their boyfriends or husbands are the main sources. And the most confident women value sex more and initiate it more often than their meeker counterparts do. Pick your spots, and build her up.
Dinner with friends Your strategy: Brag about her. "By showing public admiration for her or her accomplishments, you raise her social capital," says clinical psychologist Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D. "She'll feel insecure if she thinks you're too good for her, according to a 2005 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology". Show her that you consider yourself lucky to be in her league.
Your move: Follow up with a more personal, related compliment when you're alone with her. "If you don't compliment her in private, she can perceive your public bragging as just showing off what a good boyfriend or husband you are," says clinical psychologist Steve Simpson, Ph.D., the author of What Women Wish You Knew About Dating.
You're stumped by a problem Your strategy: Ask her opinion, not her advice. "She's more likely to tell you what she thinks than to give you advice," says Tessina, the author of Money, Sex, and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage. "If you ask for her advice, she's going to feel maternal, which isn't very sexy."
Your move: Use words like 'opinion,' 'feel,' and 'think.' "Even asking 'What do you think I should do?' is better than 'Tell me what to do,'" Tessina says. It validates her opinions and reinforces her confidence in your bond.
She's totally wrong Your strategy: Never agree to disagree. A study published in the Journal of Management Development found that women are more likely to resolve conflict through collaboration than men are. "Agreeing to disagree shuts down the communication process and never resolves a thing," says Tom Merrill, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and the coauthor of Settle for More: You Can Have the Relationship You Always Wanted . . . Guaranteed! "The less comfortable she feels communicating, the less confident she'll feel about the relationship."
Your move: Ask nonjudgmental questions like, "Why do you think that?" or "Have you thought of it this way?" It shows respect for her intellect and decisions, and she'll be more likely to share her thoughts.
Next to her in a car Your strategy: Silence-but touch her nonsexually. Women are more satisfied with their relationships when their partners are physically affectionate in a nonerotic manner, according to a study in the American Journal of Family Therapy. "This kind of physical affection makes a woman feel wanted for more than just her body-which, ironically, makes her feel sexy," Tessina says.
Your move: Rest your hand a few inches above her knee. It's close enough to be in intimate territory, but it's not obviously sexual, so she won't think you're just looking for action at the end of (or during) the ride.
She's feeling good Your strategy: Make it up to her. Huh? You aren't in trouble-so it's the ideal time to fix a past mistake. A woman questions your sincerity when you take action to remedy a problem that's fresh in her mind, according to a recent study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. You're most effective when her focus is elsewhere. "She'll appreciate your efforts to make her happy much more when she's already in a good mood," says Simpson.
Your move: "Think about what your last few fights were about," Simpson says. "Tailor your behavior as if you were trying to make up for that." Now's the time to do the dishes because you want to do them, or surprise her with flowers at work.
This section is dedicated to clear the air between gods greatest creation. There's always a feud to see which sex is superior and why. In a nutshell, it doesn't matter who's better, the only thing we need to know is that we need each other and we need to accept our limitations.
A happiness bias
University of Pittsburgh researchers found that women are 33% more likely than man to feel relief from major depression after taking citalopram, a commonly used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Estrogen may influence serotonin receptors, which can make women more sensitive to the drug
ADVANTANGE: WOMEN
Bouncing back
After breaking a bone, men may regain their strength faster then women. Ohio University researchers found that men and women lost 30% of their strength after they'd worn casts for 3 weeks. A week after removal, men were back to normal while women hadn't improve. The difference may be tied to sex-specific hormones that help regulate muscle growth.
The back rub is more than a prelim to sex. It's healthy - for both of you. Utah researchers found that affectionate contact lowers stress markers. Married couples who used affectionate touching, like massage, for 30 minutes three times a week lowered levels of the stress-related enzyme alpha-amylase by 34%. "Oxytocin, a hormone released during touch, is thought to counteract stress," says study author Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Ph.D. Trade off back rubs every other day to reap the benefit.
She's checking out your brain
Sure, do the workouts in this magazine. But read the articles, too: Women think intelligent men are sexy. Researchers at the University of California at Davis asked 204 women to watch as men played Frisbee, read news headlines, explained why they'd make good dates, and discussed life on Mars. After controlling for physical attractiveness, the researchers found that the smarter men were ranked as more appealing as boyfriends and for one-night stands. Intelligence is associated with success, says study author Mark D. Prokosch, Ph.D. It shows that a man can provide material benefits now, and later he could pass on these desirable traits to offspring.
Nice lungs Men are more likely than women to grow out of asthma, according to Harvard Medical School researchers who studied 1,000 children. Animal research suggests that testosterone relaxes the constricted smooth muscles in airways.
ADVANTAGE: MEN
Death by stress Highly anxious men have an almost 80 percent higher risk of death from respiratory disease than men who relax, but stressed women show no such risk, say Danish researchers. Stress suppresses immune function.
It's never easy to understand our significant other but when there's a will, there is a way. Here at Men's Health we provide the way, you just have to be willing to do it.
Rev up her desire
Cubic inches matter. Loud car engines can activate a woman's sexual arousal., according to British researchers. Women who listened to the revving engines of Ferraris and other high-end cars showed elevated testosterone levels, indicating sexual excitement. The throaty roar causes a response in a woman's hypothalamus, triggering physiological arousal, says lead author, David Moxon, M. Sc. But don't redline a Civic - the noise of a four-cylinder car lowered women's testosterone levels.
No Holds Barred
It seems like the gloomy economy has also caused a reversal in single male's preference to women. A Canadian study in the New Scientist showed men preferred women who were characterized as benevolent, i.e. vulnerable, pure, or ideal for making the man feel completed as opposed to women who demonstrated characteristics such as; career-oriented, athletic, active in social causes and interested in partying. Rather odd, because you'd reckon having more income would make for a happier household.
Women are one of the mysteries that men have yet solve. Here are some of the secrets/knowledge about them (and us,too) that have been uncovered.
Listen, sexy Beware of that sultry voice: A woman's voice sounds sexier when she's at her peak of fertility, according to University at Albany (SUNY) researchers. When men listened to the voices of women at different points in their menstrual cycles, they rated the sound of women at peak fertility as most attractive. "Hormones throughout the menstrual cycle change the quality of a woman's voice, possibly by altering the pitch," says Nate Pipitone, Ph.D.(c).
Women love team players Want to impress her? Talk about your football league, not your marathon PR. Women are more attracted to team players than to men who prefer solo sports, according to a study in Evolutionary Psychology. When women viewed photos of men along with captions about the men's athletic endeavors, they rated those who played team sports higher in both datability and sexual attractiveness. The reason? Women may associate team sports with celebrity, says study author Albrecht Schulte-Hostedde, Ph.D. They may also prefer socially dominant men-the type often seen playing team sports.
The bikini effect The promise of sex can impair our judgment. New research in the Journal of Consumer Research reports that sexual urges make men crave quick rewards when they make decisions about money or food. In the study, men who were shown stimuli tended to be content with a small immediate monetary reward instead of a bigger one that involved waiting. They made similar decisions about candy and soda. Sexual stimuli snap men's minds into the present, researchers speculate, making fast rewards more appealing. Remember that on your next dinner date when the dessert cart rolls up.
CELLULAR DAMAGE Future dads, beware: Using a cell phone may harm your sperm, report Cleveland Clinic scientists. They found that men who talked on their mobiles for 2 hours a day shot 31 percent fewer swimmers. Phone frequencies may either heat body tissue, disrupting sperm production, or create harmful free radicals. "Take your phone out of your pocket when you can," says study author Ashok Agarwal, Ph.D. "It may still emit harmful frequencies in standby mode."
READ HER SIGNALS Plenty of men have mistaken a woman's kindness for sexual interest. But we goof in the opposite way, too: Men often miss clues that women are hot for them. Researchers at Indiana University showed men photos of women wearing a variety of outfits and asked them to interpret the ladies' expressions. More than half of the 497 men thought lustful signals indicated other emotions, such as sadness or friendliness.
YOUR BRAIN ON CHANEL NO. 5 A whiff of a woman's perfume sets off fireworks in your brain. In a new study, South Korean researchers performed MRIs on men inhaling the scent of Chanel No. 5. Here's how those floral notes tickle your lobes.
1. Sniffing perfume activates some brain areas also stimulated by viewing erotic images, including the inferior and middle frontal gyri.
2. Perfume even triggers the inferior frontal lobe, which is responsible for goal-directed behaviors, such as convincing a woman to come up for a nightcap
3. The scent also lights up the insula, which is activated during erections and may play a role in processing addiction and pain.
4. Perfume increases brain activity in regions essential to your sexual performance, such as the median preoptic area.
5. The fragrance signals the medial amygdala and hypothalamus, which regulate sexual behavior, boosting primal urges.
Relationships can be tricky; if you plan to make it that way. Here are some tips from the iconic Amber Chia as she explains how to make a relationship great by simply repositioning the limelight
By Kenneth Tan
Supermodel, actress, celebrity, fashion icon - Amber Chia has it all covered. With a face that has adorned countless spaces, Amber is instantly recognizable and yet there's something extraordinary the moment you meet her. Beneath her signature sultry looks and smoldering lips lie something more than sex appeal. Perhaps it is how her eyes dance as she begins a story, or when she gestures expansively to illustrate a point. It just feels like there's more energy about her than can be captured in a photograph.
"I'm the kind of person who enjoys everyday because I'm always doing different things with my life," says Chia of her effervescence. As an example, her regional fame demands extensive traveling, particularly to Taiwan where she manages several endorsements. Also in the works is her first book entitled 'Success Secrets of a Super Model' which offers beauty and health tips for the aspiring supermodel, plus details of Amber's personal career experiences.
Of course, in the midst of all this, she also has to handle the dozens of shoots, fashion shows, meetings, celebrity appearances and nitty gritty everyday tasks. It's no wonder that she is thinking of taking a break. "I'm considering a short acting course in New York," she says. "Hopefully, when I'm back, people will still remember me."
Speaking for most of us, it's quite likely we'll remember her even after a few years. However, since time is a thief, we thought it would be helpful if she could tell us what she wants out of a relationship now, so that we can practice being good at it, while she's off memorizing scripts in New York and what-not. Here's what she says about putting your relationship under a different kind of light.
Start the right way 5 Moves which will show her that she is the object of your affections
MAKE IT PERSONAL While her schedule might be hectic, Chia prefers her love life to be decidedly mellow. "I don't like crowded areas and I prefer my time with my partner to be intimate, personal," she says. "A movie, a dinner, some time at home - that's all I want from him." Okay, now that doesn't sound too hard does it? Instead of camping overnight for concert tickets or scrounging forums to buy the latest iPhone, just spend your time with her on simple, relaxing activities.
WHISK HER AWAY Living in the everyday, it may be difficult to separate the stresses of work with our romantic lives. To recapture the magic, take her on a trip where the both of you can get up close and personal. "Ideally, somewhere in Europe is really nice because it's not as crowded and the weather is milder," says Chia. "When I was in Switzerland with my ex-boyfriend, just holding hands and walking on the street was already very romantic. The grand architecture added also to the setting." If Europe's not really your thing, you can at least take her out for a relaxing spa retreat. She'll appreciate the gesture and it's a low-pressure situation which brings out the best in both of you.
PUT THAT EGO OUT The worst thing you could do is to strut around. "I'm a simple girl, and when I fall in love, I just love," she says. All she asks is that you return the favor. "I think girls are like that, they just want the guy to pamper them and make them happy," she says admitting to being easy to please. Sure, we as men tend to build large egos because we need that swagger in the outside world to frighten the others. But for Chia, when we put aside that ego to cajole and treat with her - that kind of behavior makes her feel important in relation to the man's life.
GET BIBLICAL In Chia's thinking, when love happens to her, the rest of it follows a natural course. "When I like a guy, whatever he does for me makes me happy," she says. "Whether it is flowers, chocolate, a teddy bear, a text message or even just the way he looks at me, it shows he cares for me," she says. "It's almost as if we are Adam and Eve – as though we are the only two people on this earth with that feeling of love." So don't make the relationship all about you impressing her. The real chemistry is when people just get along. "If I have a good feeling about the guy and we click, then that's all that is necessary," she says.
BE AN HONEST JOE There are some things which women can stand and some that they cannot. While the deal-breakers range from sloth to arrogance, some sins are heavier than others. For Chia, her biggest dealbreaker is dishonesty. "I cannot accept a guy who lies to me. I don't mind even a troublesome truth but if he is dishonest, it's over." She would rather be told the truth than to be kept in a lie, because then at least the relationship will still be real, and its foundation rooted in truth. That way, things can still be worked out.
