Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Top 10 Tips for healthy looking legs & bod

Wanting a full body make-over.? Tired of the dry/rough areas, uneven skin tone, pale and dull look, and most of all those horrific dimples that settle in our thighs..

The truth is nearly all women have cellulite. A staggering 90% of post-adolescent women have the dreaded ‘orange peel-skin’ or “cottage cheese” look. It is not related to obesity and is found on skinny and overweight women alike.
So the big question is “How to get rid of cellulite and what are the best treatments for an even healthy looking skin?” Even though there is no definite or magical cellulite cure at the moment, there are a variety of ways to reduce the appearance of cellulite, uneven skin tone, rough and dry skin.
Below are some tips so that you can recover a more slender figure and smooth away unwanted cellulite:

1) Drink Water or Herbal Teas
Drink 8 8-8oz glasses of water a day. It will flush out any excess sodium that causes fluid retention. If you get bored of water, try herbal teas or adding a little pure fruit juice to it.
2) Eat Good! Don’t Crash Diet
Eat regularly but give up the fatty, junk foods and say hello to the greens. Cellulite is just plain old fat and a key to minimizing it is to drop pounds, according to a 2006 study published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. But how you lose weight matters: Crash dieting can actually make cellulite worse by reducing skin’s elasticity, making more of those little puckers noticeable.
3) Eat Foods With Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids can help strengthen the connective tissues around fat cells, thereby helping to reduce cellulite. A diet richer in essential fatty acids may stop the fat cells slackening and therefore could reduce the dimpling effect. Good sources of essential fatty acids are olive oil, flax seed oil, black current seed oil, walnut oil and fish oil. You can also add onions into your meal – onion is great to get rid of cellulite. It helps release water build-up from skin cells.

4) Eat Foods With Protein
Eat a diet high in healthy protein. Water retention can be part of the cellulite problem. Protein can help as it contains albumin, which helps absorb excess fluid. For the best effect, try eating three small portions of fish, nuts and beans, poultry or soy each day.
5) Body Brush, Glove or Loofah
A body brush, glove or loofah could be one of your best purchases! Increases of circulation will greatly benefits the lymphatic drainage of the body as well because it encourages the discharge of metabolic waste or toxins more efficiently. This in turn helps out the poor drainage in fat cells that causes cellulite. For the best results brush twice a day using long slow strokes towards your heart.

6) Firming and Cellulite Creams
There are lots of cellulite creams and gels on the market, with all sorts of ambitious claims. The truth is, for great results you cannot rely on creams alone, they need to be combined with exercise and healthy eating/drinking. These creams are designed to boost your circulation in the troubled area and increase collagen production. For best results, the creams have to be used continually. Apply an anti-cellulite cream twice a day to affected areas. Research and development is invested in anti-cellulite active ingredients. These special formulas will have the optimal regenerating effect.
For best results, choose anti cellulite creams that contains antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and other ingredients that help to stimulate blood flow.
7) Relax – Don’t’ Stress Out
Stress causes hormonal changes that can affect the skin. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause thinning of the skin and increased fat storage. It can also slow the production of growth hormones that create healthy skin. It is so important to get relaxation into your day; try yoga, Pilate’s or walking, and make sure you get the magic eight hours sleep per night.

8) Exercise
Although thin people are just as likely to get cellulite as overweight people, weight gain can worsen the appearance of cellulite. Walk at least 30 minutes per day. Alternatively, you can try an intense program. To maximize fat loss, combine resistance training on your leg and bum with 150+ minutes of cardio a week. You should see the slimming, smoothing results in 4 weeks!

9) Treat Yourself to Massages Massage from trained practitioners has a host of benefits. It can help reduce stress, increase circulation and lymphatic drainage, and break down adhesions. Cellulite massage works by eliminating the dryness of skin and flushing out toxic, fatty deposits that causes cellulite. Some herbal ingredients used in the massage therapy are seaweed, horsetail and clematis. Alternatively for a home remedy, use a mechanized massage device for cellulite reduction in the areas for 10-15 minutes/day.

10) Treat Yourself to Body Wraps
In Spas, herbal cellulite body wraps sometimes use natural herbal remedies such as seaweed, algae, Aloe Vera and mud. The effect of each type of herbs used varies, from improvement in circulation to skin soothing. How cellulite body wraps work for cellulite reduction is by creating a condition that is similar to having fever, whereby our body eliminates toxin by perspiration. The skin is brushed and massaged evenly with one of these substances before it is wrapped with linens from neck to toe.


For a more convenient and less expensive cellulite reduction approach, you can make your own cellulite body wraps at home. Here’s two recipes for you:
  • Homemade Cellulite Herbal Body Wrap – Mix a cup of corn oil with 1/2 cup of grapefruit juice and 2 teaspoons dried thyme. Massage into hip, thigh, and buttock areas. Cover with plastic wrap to lock in body heat. For Extra results lay a heating pad over each area for five minutes.
  • Homemade Cellulite Coffee Body Wrap – Use warm coffee grounds and spread on cellulite areas and wrap with moist seaweed. Cover the area with cellophane or any types of plastic wraps and wait for about 20 to 30 minutes, then remove the wrap. Gently massage the area while rinsing with warm water.

    Tuesday, 6 March 2012

    endless to do's

    Life isn’t where I thought it would be at the moment but its keeping busy with amazing things* Especially at this point in time with so much going on! Sometimes I get so discouraged.. I'm not working, neither studying, and I can’t help but feel left behind. Then i realise what the last 3 years has done for me ((life lessons worth learning)) and that at least I'm not doing something I'd end up hating one day* And besides I'm busy planning to jet set off to USA or CT for 6 months, how much more amazing can it get :))

    My application alone is a do-list of its own nature. To apply & become an aupair is quiet an extensive process. Childcare references* Medical check & body examinations* Photographs* Personal video* Letter to the Host Family* Police clearance / criminal check* Passport* Visa* and the list goes on!


    Among the above keeping me busy I'm in the middle of planning a very special bachelorette/kitchen tea party for one of my best friends, a house warming party for my man, sorting out my life with regards to bank accounts & investment options, travel ideas & options, AND study / work ideas & options... PHEEEEWWWWWW!!!
    Needless to say I'm so in love, having fun with friends and meeting new people, having the time of my life planning & sorting and well I'm pretty darn happy and grateful for all i have :)


    #Tackling one "to do" at a time! lets go!


    Friday, 27 January 2012

    Fitness Freak


    With me recently 
    leaving my full-time job for something more part-time to give me time to prepare for leaving to work in USA or CT & to look at studies for the year ahead and next, I have had so much time on my hands it’s been fabulous!!
    Time for ME! Time to breath, spring-clean, get life in order, spend time with family, spend more time with friends, and spend most of all quality time with my man! I’m finding myself again, discovering, & re-discovering my love for life, my passions, goals, hopes and dreams!


    One thing at the top of my list is to get back into gym and on the road again cycling & running, getting lean, fit & the healthiest I've ever been! My recent purchase of the book titled "Skinny Bitch" uncovers all the facts and truths about what food, chemicals, hormones and junk we continuously put into our bodies on a daily basis! From coffee to meat and everything in-between! This is helping me to gain knowledge, direction and to formulate the best healthiest eating plan - that isn’t a "quick fix / diet" but rather a long term food lifestyle choice. For me personally, diet & exercise have a snowball effect on each other. Once I am eating healthily & have a good relationship with food I find I am more obliged and motivated to exercise.. And the more exercise I do or the more fitness goals I want to achieve, the more motivated I become to have a healthy body & good balanced diet!


    Being at the gym every day this week so far has been amazing! A few new Addidas gym items & a new watch have got me all giddy and amped to go out & take on my daily exercise regim. I think sometimes we need that. Something just to get us going! Not only do I have a great support system with friends around me gyming & having goals of their own fitness wise, my biggest motivation is entering races! There’s nothing more encouraging than working towards an event.  I have thus far entered for a trial run, mountain bike race, forest marathon and a triathlon and I have only done a run & a cycle once if twice in the past!
    So I’m setting my goals high and getting very excited
    to tackle all the above.

    Spinning classes are my best friend at the moment, the rush, fast pace, endurance, strength and interval training is just too groovy! 3-in-1, how about that :) Running I do on the road, at the gym and best of all on the beach! Swimming is my only less than average strength but I guess we all have to start somewhere, and I have a swimming program to follow too which will get me where I want to be. I’m quite excited to take Justin on a mountain bike track this weekend. Would be awesome to train together so holding thumbs he enjoys it & get ADDICTED!
    For now my toning and weight training is going to be kept minimal doing a super circuit once a week and powerplate routine 1-2 times a week. Its only been 4 days and I feel like I can take on the world. Feeling the burn, but loving every second of it !!!

    Whatever it is you want to do achieve or have,
    grab it with both hands and don’t look back