The Gift of a Child

A friend of mine recently wrote about her son:
"There are moments in parentingthat break your heart open with
boundless love, where you see your child so clearly navigating their
own space… a funny mix ofpride, empathy and fall-over-yourself love
and gratitude for the gift of your child ensues, followed by
tears….watching Wilder walk up to a new friend on the playground at a
new school and navigate the space between shy and easy was just such…
thank you universe for giving me that moment."
I know what she means. Earlier this morning I told my daughter Salma a
joke and she gave me a smile as sweet as a mango that made my heart
melt. And just now she climbed into the chair next to mine and said,
"Baba, cover your eyes." I did but I peeked between my fingers because
sometimes she leaps onto me full bore, with her kneespointed at me, as
if I'm a trampoline. But this time she climbed into my lap, and kissed
me on the cheek.
Of course she followed it up by telling me she was bored, and asking
me to buy her a new doll. Still, having this child has taught me to
love as I never did before. I have learned patience, sacrifice,and
aspiration, not for myself but for another.
I recently listened to a lecture by Umm Sahl of Damascus in which she
remarked that our children do not belong us, but to Allah. They are
given to us in trust, andwe are their shepherds.
I can see that. How could I own or possess something so beautiful, and
powerful, so unique? No one but Allah can hold a human being in their
hand, seeing the essence of that person, knowing and appreciating
every atom.
What a tremendous responsibility a child is. What a tremendous gift.
May Allah make us all equal to the task, and help us to fulfill our
roles as shepherds, providing tarbiyah and love, and ushering in a
better generation than our own, Insha'Allah.

Keeping food diary could be key to staying slim and fit

Adopting a fixed timetablefor meals could be a more effective method
of dieting than trying to cut out fatty foods, say researchers. People
who snack on healthy food can put on weight if their eating patterns
are not maintained properly, according to new study.
In contrast, the researcherssaid, sticking to strict mealtimes is good
for the metabolism and helps the body burn off fat, allowinga more
liberal choice of food, The Telegraph reported.
Previous studies have shown that both a high-fat diet and eating
patterns that disrupt the natural body clock can interfere with our
metabolism and raise the risk of obesity.
Scientists from the HebrewUniversity of Jerusalem tested the effects
of timingand fat intake on four groups of mice over an 18-week period
to determine whether carefulscheduling of meals could lower the
effects of a high-fat diet.
Half were given a high-fat diet that would normally be expected to
make themobese. Of these, a quarter were fed at the same time each day
and another quarter could eat as much as they liked, whenever they
liked.
The other half was fed a diet that was lower in fat. Again, one
quarter had a fixed feeding time, the other had not.
All four of the groups gained weight over the course of the trial,
with the group that ate a high-fat diet at irregular intervals
unsurprisingly gaining the most weight, while those on a low-fat,
scheduled diet gained the least.
But more surprisingly, the mice that had been fed a high-fat diet at
regular intervals finished the trial in a better condition than those
that ate low-fat foods whenever they wanted, despite both groups
consuming the same number of calories overall.
The mice in the scheduled, high-fat group had 12 per cent lower body
weight, 21 per cent lower cholesterol and 1.4 times higher sensitivity
to insulin than the unscheduled, low-fat group.
The diet also changed their metabolism so that they burnt off the fats
they ingested to produce energy in between meal times, rather than
storing the fat in their bodies.
"Our research shows that the timing of food consumption takes
precedence over the amount of fat in the diet, leading to improved
metabolism and helping to prevent obesity," the paper quoted Prof Oren
Froy, who led the experiment, as saying.
"Improving metabolism through the careful scheduling of meals, without
limiting the content of the daily menu, could be used as a therapeutic
tool to prevent obesity in humans," he suggested.
The study was published in the Journal of the Federation of American
Societies for Experimental Biology.

Sugar in blood can shrink your brain

medical research
Doctors ought to think again about what is a normal blood-sugar level.
Researchers in Australia have found that even those now considered
normal are at greater risk of the brain shrinkage thatcomes with
type-2 diabetes and is evident in dementia patients.
"We found that even within the normal range, and in people without
diabetes, higher sugar levels were associated with greater shrinking
of the hippocampus," said Nicolas Cherbuin, head of the brain lab at
the Australian National University in Canberra.
"If these findings are replicated in other cohorts,norms for blood
sugar levels and diabetes may need to be re-examined." Over four years
Cherbuin studied 249 people aged 60-64 whose blood sugar was in the
normal range of 4-6.1 millimoles per litre.
He found that those in the top of the range were more likely to have
loss of brain volume in the hippocampus and the amygdala than those in
the lower blood-glucose range. The hippocampus and the amygdala are
important to memory and cognitive skills.
Type-2 diabetes is often put down to poor lifestyle choices and the
same goesfor high blood sugar. To ward off brain shrinkage, eat well
and get fit — and try and avoid the stressful things in life.
"Lack of exercise and chronic stress also affect blood sugar levels
and a healthy lifestyle should include regular exercise and avoiding
chronic stress," Cherbuin said.

THINGS TO KEEP YOU FIT

You are what you eat -andwhat you don't eat. Similarly, life depends
on what you keep and what you don't keep. There are many things in
life that people may keep, but onlya few are truly worth keeping. Here
is a list of what to keep (and how) for a brighter, happier and more
fulfilling life.
1) Keep calm. Life can be unnerving and if you don'tmake an effort to
keep collected and focused, you could easily lose your cool.Take
regular, conscious deep breaths to calm and center yourself.
2) Keep your chin up. Not only is it good for your posture and
diminishes your double chin, it also helps you maintain an "I can
handle it" attitude. By keeping your chin up, you can keep your head
above water.
3) Keep your spirits high. Always maintain a positiveand joyful
attitude. Remember that no one can perk you up like yourself. Keep
your spirits high when the going gets rough by focusing on your dreams
and counting your blessings.
4) Keep your word. The true measure of a man is ifhe keeps his word.
Honorable and trustworthy is the man who stands by what he says and
promises. It is important to think well before speaking because once a
word is uttered andreleased into the universe, its vibrations could no
longer be erased.
5) Keep in time with your inner drummer. Don't be swayed by others
into following the confusing beat of their drums. Although it is
sometimes necessary to adjust to the pace of others, it is best to
keep in step with your personal rhythm and to dance to your own music.
6) Keep in touch with the child in you. The source of creativity in
your life is that little child within you. He questions, he marvels,
he imagines and invents. Stay in touch with him, and be young and
creativefor life!
7) Keep abreast of the times. The world is movingso fast. Know what's
happening, what's in style,what's au courant, what's relevant, what's
important.Learn the hottest trends and the latest in technology. Don't
be caught in a time warp or you'll be left behind.
8) Keep in shape. Your shape shows your state of health. Your body is
the vessel that you journey through life in. Keep it healthy and
strong. Don't be one of those people who say, "I'm in shape; round is
a shape!"
9) Keep your mouth shut. People talk too much. We language ourselves
to our own destruction and defeat. Know when to talk and when to shut
up. Avoid being too verbose. Oftentimes, silence speaks more
eloquently than words.
10) Keep good friends. Good friends are hard to find. Nurture
friendships that make your plight through life easier, more wonderful
and meaningful. Truly poor is the man who has no good friends.
11) Keep great memories, not heavy objects. In the very end, good
memories of life are what we will be left with, not jewels and riches
that we can't bring when we finally go. Live each moment beautifully.
Linked together, these magical moments create a magnificent life.
12) Keep a diary. Writing a journal is therapeutic. Record the
important events in your life, your dreams and aspirations, even your
failures and disappointments . When you trace back events in your
life, you are bound tolearn lessons from them aswell as find great
inspiration and strength.
13) Keep saying grace and thanks. Blessed is he who says grace before
he eats and gives thanks for all thegifts he receives daily. Maintain
a thankful attitude and focus on your blessings instead of
disappointments .
14) Keep on moving forward. The universe moves forward in time. Don't
get stuck in yesterday; make an effort to move ahead to a better life.
Drop those unnecessary pieces of material and emotional baggage that
weigh you down and keep you from flying to your loftiest dreams.
15) Keep out of danger. Hewho exposes himself to danger finds it.
Don't courtdanger; avoid it. As they say, an ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure. Look out for number one (that's you!), and
always stay safeand sound.
16) Keep up the good work. Success is built uponsuccess. The more you
do, the more you achieve; the more you achieve, the better you get at
doing it. Make success a habit by keeping up the good work.
17) Keep young. Do everything in your power to stay strong, supple and
youthful. Think young; feelyoung. A wise man once said "It is never
too late to be what you might have been." Remember that ageis a number
and that youth is an attitude.
18) Keep on dancing. Life isa dance through space andtime. Embellish
whatever music life plays for you with your own fresh orchestration
and creative choreography. Be excited in your heart and keep your feet
light with happiness.