MEN'S FASHION: How to wear a shirt and tie with Jeans

Fashion rules are made to be broken; this is true of the trendy tie-and-jeans combo. Slim styles work well, while low-to-medium rise jeans with a close -- but not leg-hugging -- cut are timelessly dependable. Please don’t wear baggy jeans, those made of shiny synthetic fabrics  this can work against your tie rather than with it.

You can make a tie work with just a dress shirt and jeans, so long as the shirt is neatly tucked and not too puffy. Honor your neat tie with a proper shirt fit; always fit to your neck size and arm length. Semi-spread collars, rolled sleeves and a nice leather watch all work within this middle-ground of casual and formal.

Take a look at some styles.

Simple Steps to Reduce Snoring

1 Snoring can be embarrassing, irritating to your spouse and can affect your health too.  It takes time to stop it completelny but you can reduce it. Snoring is common with both men and women, even children snore too.

1. Change Your Sleep Position.

Lying on your back makes the base of your tongue and soft palate collapse to the back wall of your throat, causing a vibrating sound during sleep. Sleeping on your side may help prevent this.

2. Lose Weight.

Weight loss helps some people but not everyone. Thin people snore, too. If you've gained weight and started snoring and did not snore before you gained weight, weight loss may help. If you gain weight around your neck, it squeezes the internal diameter of the throat, making it more likely to collapse during sleep, triggering snoring.

3. Avoid Alcohol.

Alcohol and sedatives reduce the resting tone of the muscles in the back of your throat, making it more likely you'll snore. Drinking alcohol four to five hours before sleeping makes snoring worse. People who don't normally snore will snore after drinking alcohol.

4. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene.

Poor sleep habits can have an effect similar to that of drinking alcohol. Working long hours without enough sleep, can make the muscles floppier and make you snore.

5. Open Nasal Passages.

If snoring starts in your nose, keeping nasal passages open may help. It allows air to move through slower. The narrower the nose, the faster the air rushes through."

A hot shower before you go to bed can help open nasal passages.

6. Stay Well Hydrated.

Drink plenty of water. According to the Institute of Medicine, healthy women should have about 11 cups of total water (from all drinks and food) a day; men require about 16 cups.

Overall, get enough sleep, sleep on your side, avoid alcohol before bedtime and take a hot shower if nasal passages are clogged. These simple practices can make a huge difference in reducing snoring.

I hope this helps. You can leave your experience or improvement in the comment area.

How to save money and be happy.

Saving money can be difficult if there is no proper planning and budgeting in place. We sometimes feel we don’t make enough money to save some. Don’t forget someone out there is making half of what you are earning, yet they save and survive.

Making small changes in your life can fatten your savings and help you budget better. Follow these tips to save more money.

Shopping:  Take a list so you don't forget anything. Only buy what's on the list. This makes it easier to stick to your budget. Use our budget planner to help you save. Don’t listen to that still small voice from an item telling you, “buy me, buy me”. Tip: before buying anything, give it a 24 hours thought, you will be amazed how insignificant some items can be.

Electricity: Electricity bill is getting higher yearly. Switch off your heater, air-conditioner and lights in rooms you're not using. Use energy saving bulbs, this can save up to 70% of energy cost. Keep your curtains or blinds open at night to keep fresh air in. Turn off your electrical appliances at the socket. Don’t just use remote. Turn off the TV and computer when no-one is using it. Turn on the washing machine and the dishwasher only when they are full.  Frequent use drains more energy. Before going to bed, double check everything in the house is switched- off from the wall socket.

Water:  Have 2 minute showers. An average person uses up to 60 liters of water for a 5 minutes shower. If you don’t pay directly to Water Corporation you may have a pumping machine. Frequent pumping machine usage can amount to increase in energy bill. Install a water efficient shower head to save water.

Save money together with some friends: It can be harder to save money when the people around you are keen to spend. Talk to some friend who also wants to save money. You can share tips, enjoy cheap nights out and contribute together monthly.

Clothes: With fashion changing every season, you don't really need to buy new clothes all the time. If you're buying clothes, check if you can wash them to avoid dry cleaning bills. If you buy new clothes, make sure it goes with at least two other clothes in your wardrobe so you can get a few different outfits out of one item.

Mobile Phones: Cut calls cost by sending sms when necessary. Only make calls if you need immediate reply. Use messenger like whatsapp or bbm if you have data balance on your phone. Set automatic downloads and updates only when Wi-Fi is available. Avoid unnecessary calls but always have call credit in case of emergency. More on this in my later article.

Cars: Use fuel efficient vehicles. Avoid using the V6, V8 and V12 always. Try riding a bicycle sometimes. Apart from the health benefits, this can save you more than half of your fuel spending.Avoid over revving, this can burn your fuel faster. Use air-conditioner moderately. More on this in my later article.

Bank fees: Use same bank  cards on ATM when available to avoid ATM charges. Subscribe to email alerts. Sms alerts attract mobile operator charges.

Lunch: Make your lunch at home. Except your office provides your lunch for free; if you have to pay, please compare the cost from your payslip with how much it will cost you to make that lunch at home.

Drinks: Cut down on drinking coffee, soft drinks or on alcohol. Use water to quench your taste instead of soft drinks - it may sound scary but it will save you money and can have health benefits too.

Check online-shops and local markets for bargains, promos and deals.

Saving more through proper planning and budgeting can make you happier and live longer. Set a budget today.

These are just some tips. I hope this helps. Share more in the comments area.

Some things you must do to improve your life.

You sometimes wonder why some people live, happier,older,more successful and healthier than others. With no other of importance here are some things you must do to improve your life.

1) Appreciate nature

You probably seriously underestimate how important this is. Being in nature reduces stress, makes you more creative, improves your memory and may even make you a better person. Just looking or smelling the fragrance of a flower can improve your mental alertness.

 2) Exercise

Exercise is very important; other than health benefits exercise makes you smarter, happier, improves sleep, increases libido and makes you younger. Take a 10 minutes’ walk every day. Avoid the lift and use the stairs sometimes.

 3) Spend time with friends and family

Relationships are worth more than you think .Not feeling socially connected can kill you. Loneliness can lead to heart attack, stroke and diabetes. The longest lived people on the planet all place a strong emphasis on social engagement and good relationships. Friends are key to improving your life.

 4) Eat right. 

We live in the fast age. Fast foods are not the right type of food for you. Avoid them if you can. Don’t skip breakfast, if you do, make up for lunch. Add fruits and vegetables to your daily diet.

5) Meditate

Meditation can increase happiness, meaning in life. Along similar lines, prayer can make you feel better — even if you’re not religious.

6) Get enough sleep

You can’t cheat yourself on sleep and not have it affect you. Good sleep does improve decision making. Lack of sleep can make you more likely to behave unethically. Also, people with slept debt do poorly at work and academics.

7) Challenge yourself

Learning a new skill and another language can keep your mind sharp. Music lessons increase intelligence. Challenging your beliefs strengthens your mind. Not getting an education or taking advantage of opportunities are two of the things people look back on their lives and regret the most.

8) Laugh sometimes

People who use humor to cope with stress have better immune systems, reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, experience less pain during child birth. Laughter should be like a daily vitamin. Look at the mirror and laugh over nothing until it becomes real laughter. I do that sometimes.

9) Touch someone

Touching can reduce stress, improve team performance, and help you be persuasive.  Sex* also helps prevent heart attacks, improve your immune system and extend your life. 

10) Be optimistic

Optimism can make you healthier, happier and extend your life. The Army teaches it in order to increase mental toughness in soldiers. Being overconfident improves performance.

The list is endless. Work on these and add yours in the comment area. Hope this better improves your life?

(*sex here implies to married couple)

Welcome to Step Up with Chris

Step Up with Chris

You can achieve your dreams and succeed in Life. There is enough room for everyone in the mansion of Success but you need to take the right steps to get there.

I welcome you to this blog. You are here because you want to improve your life. Nothing happens by chance. There are always opportunities in Life; we must take positive steps to make success out of it. You will agree with me if you had known what you knew now 10 years ago, your life would have been 10 times better. Not to worry, there is always a time to make that needed change. Keep up with me as I take you through a journey that will change your life forever.