Alma Jones

A lot of happy single people become an emotional mess once they get involved with someone else. Yes, relationships are hard; after all, it involves two people with different backgrounds, two people who, at one point or another, will have a difference in opinion. Given the unavoidable argument that is sure to come about one day, it is important for you to stay happy as yourself before you can be happy while in a relationship. Your happiness should not depend on your partner alone. Instead of trying to squeeze out happiness from your partner, why not bring in the happiness yourself?

Below are a few things you can do to stay happy (and keep your partner happy in the process):

• Get some alone-time. No guy wants a clingy, needy girlfriend. An independent woman who does not lose herself in a relationship is someone guys naturally like, arguably because it keeps the pressure off them. If you are happy only when you are together, it might make your partner feel tied down and suffocated. Keep doing the things you love doing. If you do something that makes you happy and your boyfriend finds out, it will make you even more intriguing in his eyes.
• Admit to yourself that you will not be able to control every single emotion. When your spouse or boyfriend blows you off for an important meeting, it’s of course natural for you to be upset. You try not to be, but you can’t help feeling bad about being second to his work. You feel even worse because even when you know he had no choice and you are still his number one priority, you seem to be irrationally demanding – again. Don’t sweat it; emotions are sometimes beyond your control. Don’t beat yourself up for feeling that way. After all, it’s not the emotions, but the actions that go with them, that you should always (or at least most of the time) keep under control.
• You can tell your partner everything – just don’t expect him to react the way your girlfriends do. Women have this unrealistic expectation that men should think like women. No, he will probably not provide the same kind of support your girlfriends do. He has his own way of expressing his love and concern. If you want him to react in a specific way, tell him – and he’ll be more than thankful that you are showing him how he can make you happy.

When you are having problems with your partner, it brings about a degree of unhappiness that seeps into all aspects of your life. You may no longer enjoy your work as much, you seem to be less effective doing household chores, and even your friends feel that something is definitely bothering you. It is a sad fact that no matter how you try to compartmentalize your life, your relationship with your chosen one will influence everything else. Making things more complicated by being clingy and needy will simply make things worse. Instead, let up on the pressure. Be happy even when he’s not acting like the ideal guy you’ve always expected him to be. He’s just human, after all.

Question: What kind of exercise is effective for losing weight in the hip area? (from Adrian of Manila, Philippines)

Dr. Alma Jones says: When you perform a certain type of exercise in hopes of shedding the extra fat in one specific area of your body, that is called spot reduction.

Unfortunately, spot reduction is a myth. Your body determines where it gets the energy during exercise; moving your abs does not guarantee that you will be burning abdominal fat. In much the same manner, no exercise will burn the fat found solely on your hips. It’s a global thing – fat from the rest of your body will also be used. It just depends on your genes as to which body fat gets utilized quicker.

If you want to lose the extra weight you’ve been seeing on your hips, you are going to have to lose weight the old fashioned way: by dieting and exercise. Sorry, there is no one-shot exercise that will make you lose the fat padding on your hips.

There are easy ways to make sure your exercise routine will help you effectively shed the extra pounds. I will be listing some surefire ways to maximize your time at the gym; I’ll be jotting down tips for you soon, so stay tuned for my next post!

Question: At what age should I start giving fish to my baby? I have an 11 month old daughter and I was wondering if it’s safe to feed her fish at her age. (from Louie of Quezon City, Philippines)

Dr. Alma Jones says: Fish is safe for kids - just make sure it is deboned and cooked. Because fish meat is soft, it is easily chewed & digested by kids, especially by your 11 month old baby.

Fish is ideally given at an earlier age, like at 6 to 8 months, when all other soft solids are being introduced. But no worries, it's not too late to serve fish to your child. Just make sure the fish is deboned and cooked.

Some parents hesitate to give fish and other seafood to their kids because allergies run in the family. This is why I tell parents that solid foods are given gradually, and one at a time, to make it easier to monitor for signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction. This also makes it easy to pinpoint the culprit if an allergy does develop.

That said, don't exclude fish from the diet just because you fear your child may develop allergies; fish is a good source of essential fatty acids that help in the development of your child's brain.

I’m on Facebook as well, so please follow me there.

http://www.facebook.com/jones.alma

I sincerely hope there’s just a handful of “Alma Jones” on Facebook – I don’t want to be hard to search for! Anyhow, add me up and send me a message on FB. Let’s make each other’s Facebook walls more interesting, shall we?

I’m now on Twitter!

Okay, that’s a half-lie. I’ve been on Twitter for quite some time, but I haven’t actually tweeted in a long time, because:

1. I’ve been really busy.
2. I keep forgetting my Twitter password.
3. I’m just not up to it.
4. I feel like I’m talking to myself (and I’m not talking back to me).

But that’s the stuff you don’t need to know. But in case you’re still interested in hearing my half-crazy, half-sleep-deprived tweets, follow me on Twitter:

twitter.com/almajonesmd

I never knew I could make bird sounds. Tweet! ^_^

I’ve been trying to shop for a great timepieces the past few days, but what I’ve been seeing in the mall have been disappointing. I decided to look online and found these beautiful watches.

Versace watch

Boucheron watch

Chopard watch

Salvatore Ferragamo watch

Bulova watch

de Grisogono watches

Valentino watch

The above watches will probably cost you an arm and a leg, but hey, you still have one more arm to wear them on, yes? Investing in a great watch is something every fashion-forward lady should do. It’s something you can pass on to your daughters and granddaughters – and, in that case, your timepiece will become timeless.

Clutch bags are all the rave now, becoming the next “it” bag of the moment. Keep your shoulder bags for now and invest in a great clutch or two. You can opt for a soft, almost slouchy clutch, or perhaps go for the structured, stiff clutch bag. Well, you can always get both, for good measure.

Make sure your clutch has enough room for your stuff; us girls want bags that give justice to both form and function. Below are some of the clutch bags I’ve been eyeing.

Yves Saint Lauren clutch

Dsquared2 clutch

Alexander Wang clutch bag

Herve Leger leather clutch bag

Stella McCartney clutch

And my favorite clutch of all: Prada’s clutch. Looks like an envelope, feels like it can do so much more.

Get a hold of your favorite clutch bag now! It’s no longer just for a night out; even daywear is making space for the clutch bag.

I’ve been working really hard the past few days. I’ve almost forgotten that this is supposed to be something I love doing, instead of something that puts bread on the table. Yes, sometimes we forget the things that matter.

Anyhow, here’s one of the looks I’ve been working on. What do you think?

I’ve been trying to dress up a t-shirt and I’ve decided on wearing a white t-shirt with pants, pumps, vintage gold accessories, and an acid yellow bag. What do you think of the look?