Q: Place two fingers (your index and middle fingers) on your neck in the space between your windpipe on the front and the big muscle on the side of your neck, called the sternocleidomastoid. This is your carotid artery, and it is usually the easiest place to check your heart beat. Press lightly until you feel a pulse. Alternatively, you can place two fingers on the outer part of your inner wrist, just under where your thumb and palm curve into your wrist. This is called your radial pulse, which may be fainter or more difficult to find. You can also find your pulse by placing two fingers on the side of your wrist below your pinky finger. This is called your ulnar pulse and is usually even more faint than the radial. Do not use your thumb, as you may feel a slight pulse from the finger itself. This can mess up your readings. For a normal adult, including seniors, the average resting heart rate falls somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute. If your resting heart rate is consistently above 100 beats/minute, you may want to contact your doctor. If your resting heart rate is usually under 60 (and you are not a trained athlete), you should consider consulting with your doctor especially if you ever feel faint, dizzy, or short of breath. For children under the age of ten, the average heart rate is around 75-115 beats per minute.
A: Find your pulse. Analyze the results.

Q: Cut an avocado in half using a sharp knife and carefully remove the pit. In a clean bowl, mash 1/2 of the avocado with a fork until no chunks remain. You can also spoon the avocado into a blender or food processor and blend for a few seconds until smooth. Make sure that you use a ripe avocado so that you can easily break down any chunks and mash or blend until smooth. If your hair is very thick and/or long, you might need to use the whole avocado. If you only use half though, you can store the avocado half for future use. For added nutrients, add 1 egg, 1 tablespoon (15mL) of plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon (15mL) of olive oil, or a few drops of your favorite essential oil, such as peppermint or lavender.You can mix all of these at once, or just add one or a few of these add-ins depending on your hair type and desired effect. Use a fork to stir, or add to your blender or food processor until your add-in is completely mixed with the mashed avocado. Olive oil is highly conditioning and can help prevent breakage and promote hair growth. Yogurt helps strengthen your hair and can make it extra shiny. Eggs contain vitamins A and E, as well as biotin, which help promote healthy growth. Essential oils add nutrients and can help mask any unpleasant smells. Avocado alone is rich in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vitamins, so feel free to skip this step if you just want to use a simple avocado conditioner. If you are using the whole avocado instead of just half, double the add-ins. For example, for a whole avocado worth of paste, you will need 2 tablespoons (30mL) of plain yogurt. Using your hands, scoop up a dollop of the avocado paste and massage it into a section of your hair for about 1 minute. Repeat this process until all of your hair is covered and you have used all of the paste. If you have really thick and/or long hair, you may need to make a bit more of the paste at this point to cover all of your hair. It might be a good idea to wear clothes that you don't mind staining, or you can wrap a towel around your shoulders to protect your clothing. This will give your hair ample time to absorb the nutrients from the avocado paste. You can leave your hair uncovered, or you can protect your clothes and surroundings by putting on a shower cap, or by lightly wrapping your hair in a towel. After you have let the avocado paste sit in your hair for 15 minutes, wash it out thoroughly with water. Once the mixture is rinsed out of your hair, dry and style your hair as usual. Your hair should feel extra soft and smooth. Avocado paste alone should not make your hair greasy or weighed down, so you shouldn't need to use shampoo to get it all out. If you use olive oil or an egg as add-ins, however, you may need to use your regular shampoo to get all of the treatment out. For best results, condition your hair with an avocado paste once every 2 weeks. This will keep your hair moisturized and shiny without weighing it down. Feel free to experiment with different add-ins every 2 weeks until you find what works best for your hair.
A: Mash 1/2 of a ripe avocado. Mix in essential oils, a raw egg, olive oil, and/or yogurt. Massage the avocado paste into clean, damp hair. Leave the avocado paste in your hair for 15 minutes. Rinse out with water. Repeat once every 2 weeks.

Q: You want to find natural foods for your pet that are created from real meat, vegetables, grains, vitamins, and minerals rather than just a variety of preservatives and chemicals. If you can read the ingredient list without a dictionary, chances are the food is healthy and nutritious. Look for labels that say the food is "fit for human consumption." If you can't eat your dog's food safely, it is much more likely to harm your dog's digestive system. Many advertisements tout meat as the first ingredient, but this doesn't always mean that your pet will receive high quality protein. In some cases, this may not even mean your dog is receiving more meat. Ingredient lists on nutrition labels are ordered by the weight of each ingredient as it is added to the recipe. Once cooked, this weight can change, so these lists can be misleading. In order to select a pet food with the best quality, natural ingredient, you'll need to understand how to accurately read these ingredient lists. Check for the percentages of protein, fat, and other nutrients in addition to reading the ingredient list. Different foods may offer the same amounts of key nutrients, but they can vary dramatically in price. This is generally because the more affordable foods use lower quality protein sources. Purchase the best quality food you can afford. This can include salt, sugar, artificial colors, and added flavoring. These unnatural nutrient sources do not add to your dog's nutrition in any way, but they are designed to make the food last longer without spoiling, look more appealing, or taste more like foods that your pet enjoys. While some dogs never show signs of digestive or other health concerns caused by consuming these unnatural food additives, others show significant negative response like decreased energy and elevated risk for diseases common among their breed. This is especially important as your dog ages or for younger dogs who are less active. Many prepackaged pet foods, even natural ones, include large amounts of sugar that make the food very high in calories without increasing nutritional value. In order to feed your pup the right number of calories, you'll have to feed them a less than satisfying amount of food. Ideally, your dog's food should be between 300 and 350 calories per cup, but most store bought pet foods are between 400 and 500 calories (or more) per cup. Count calories to make sure you're not overfeeding. Most major, commercial pet foods, canned, dry, or refrigerated, are manufactured months before they reach the store. This means they're high in preservatives that can decrease the nutritional value. However, many pet stores offer natural foods prepared in smaller batches or by local pet food manufacturers that have a much shorter shelf life because they use fewer preservatives. You can also purchase these more naturally derived foods from online directly from the manufacturer. Talk to your veterinarian or local pet store to get recommendations for natural, preservative free, and locally sourced dog foods. If you want to naturally boost the nutrition of any type of dog food, include some nutritional extras with every meal. Canned meats like chicken and salmon can dramatically improve your pup's protein and vitamin intake when mixed with store bought food. Another great, low fat treat that packs a heavy vitamin punch is canned pumpkin. Add a few scoops to your dog's meal once or twice a week to boost digestive function and deliver a number of necessary vitamins and minerals.
A:
Check the label for recognizable ingredients. Learn to read the nutrition label. Avoid certain preservatives and fillers. Count the calories. Talk to your vet or pet food supplier. Include additives with store bought foods.