Your mother was on to something when she hounded you about standing up straight. Standing and sitting with improved posture can noticeably reduce the appearance of a bulge in your belly, even before you factor in fat-reduction and muscle-toning strategies. Most of us have attempted to "suck in our gut" at some point, but that is of course not sustainable. Proper posture, however, is sustainable. It can be learned and it can be made permanent. Visit How to Stand Up Straight for some simple posture strategies and exercises. It turns out that you can place a little bit of the blame for your bulging belly on our caveman ancestors. Part of the "fight or flight" reflex that helped protect our predecessors from sabre-tooth tigers triggers a release of cortisol, which signals the body to store fat in the abdominal area saving it as energy for tough times to come. One of the best ways to reduce cortisol levels, it turns out, is to reduce our overall stress (basically, reducing that "fight or flight" response). In turn, this should help reduce the amount of fat stored in the abdominal area. Check out How to Relieve Stress for a wide range of strategies for recognizing, addressing, and reducing your stress levels. A lack of sufficient sleep also causes stress on the body, and results in increased cortisol levels, which again trigger fat storage. Getting the amount of sleep that is right for your body should help reduce your cortisol levels, and therefore in turn your fat storage mechanism. Most adults need somewhere between seven to nine hours of sleep per day, but everyone's precise needs are different. How to Be a Morning Person offers some useful tips for determining how much sleep you need and how to help make sure you get it. In addition to an excess of abdominal fat, bloating can be a major (if often temporary) culprit for causing a less-than-flat stomach. Making some changes in diet and habits can help reduce your experiences of bloating. Excess salt intake is a common cause of bloating, because it facilitates water retention in the body. Skipping the salt shaker is a good idea, but the vast majority of most people's sodium intake comes from prepared and packaged foods. Read labels and menu boards for sodium content, and work to remain at or below recommended daily levels. Carbonated drinks not only tend to provide empty calories with no nutritional value, the carbonation itself can cause bloating just another reason to skip the soda. Bloating can sometimes be caused by digestive issues, and dairy products containing probiotics can help some people address this problem. Look for products like yogurt and kefir that contain "live and active cultures." Consider that constipation can cause bloating and the feeling of a fat tummy. Exercise is one way to help relieve constipation. Despite what some people assume, drinking lots of water does not cause "water-weight gain." Rather, drinking water helps flush out the system and limit bloating. The traditional advice has typically been that an adult should drink eight, 8-ounce glasses (two litres) of water per day. You should drink more water when you're exercising or on a hot day. We often don't feel thirsty even when our bodies need fluid, so it's a good idea to drink water regularly throughout the day. Drinking a glass of water before a meal can also help fill you up faster, thereby reducing your calorie intake.

Summary: Practice good posture. Work to reduce your stress level. Get more sleep. Battle bloating. Drink more water.

A larger bag can hold all your daily essentials-even your lunch! A larger shoulder bag in a neutral hue plus an accessory you love creates a casual, versatile, and completed look. If you always wear your grandmother's citrine brooch with your dress, find a large shoulder bag in yellow to match. Create a bohemian effect with a cross body bag. Wear it on a night out at an edgy party, or pick a textured, more muted cross-body for a casual daytime look. Choose a fun bold color, or a glittery metallic pattern. Create a dramatic look by choosing an oversized clutch made with relaxed leather.

Summary: Carry a larger shoulder or handbag for everyday use. Carry a cross body bag at a semi-formal event. Carry a clutch with your most formal ensembles.

Your hands and mouth may have grease and oils on them that can be transferred to your flute while playing. In order to reduce the amount of grease that comes in contact with your flute, wash your hands and face before playing. This will also reduce the amount of fingerprints that transfer to your flute. Jewelry, especially rings, can scratch or damage the exterior of your flute while you are playing. To reduce this potential damage, remove your rings before you play the flute. A professional will be able to clean and adjust the keypads without causing damage to the instrument. They can also take apart the smaller pieces of the flute for cleaning, tuning, and repair. To properly maintain your instrument, you should have it serviced at least once per year.

Summary: Wash your hands and face before playing. Remove any jewelry prior to playing. Get your flute serviced at least once a year.

The dynamics of a sister-in-law (S-I-L) are complex at the best of times but no more so if she has spent much of her life causing her immediate family to run to her beck and call. The drama queen thrives off drama and having everyone pay attention to her as a result. Sit back at your next family occasion and simply watch. Notice how she interacts with her family members, and how they in turn react back. If you witness a lot of step-toeing around her and acquiescing to her, she is clearly used to getting her own way. Consider what happens when she raises a drama-filled topic. Do other family members rush to agree with her about how "outrageous" the price of child care/electricity/shampoo/dog grooming/car maintenance/etc. is? Do they confirm her quibbles as quickly as possible, thereby engendering even more complaints? This shows that they enable her complaint-filled view of the world and sadly, have long been used to pandering to it. You can't change them but you can set a new role model by not complaining yourself. Notice what happens when you disagree with her. Does she pout, throw an adult-style tantrum or try and put you down? While it's important to stand your ground on things that matter to you, if she does react childishly, you'll need to learn how to manage this carefully. Learn not so much to disagree as to fail to agreethere is a fine line but it's about acknowledging her underlying need (notice me, care about me, help me, etc.) without buying into her view of the world. Your S-I-L can let off steam, vent away and curse all she wants but there is no need to join the negativity. Avoid taking any of what is said personallythe crazier the reactions and actions, the more your S-I-L is grasping at straws to try and provoke you and restore the limelight back onto her. Let her have the limelight in her own home but don't hang around to be vented upon. If it gets really bad, simply announce that you will come back when she is feeling calmer and leave. Equally, if it's happening in your own home, tell it's time to leave. (You can even make up a fake appointment or an early bedtime if you really need a polite excuse.)
Summary: Realize that you may be dealing with a drama queen. Do not get involved with the drama.