BEAUTY LOVE AND FITNESS

Secrets to Reduce Anxiety Disorders

2008-01-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Anxiety Disorders are seemingly growing in numbers and many people are looking toward anxiety support groups for help.

Unfortunately, these organizations are not always easy to find. Some people simply complain about the lack of anxiety support groups in their communities while others take a proactive approach to the situation.

The Anxiety Disorders Association of America recognizes the importance of creating a supportive community of people who have similar conditions and concerns. A self-help approach to such a condition is not always the best approach without a community. Anxiety support groups are helpful in helping individuals find ways to relate to others while building a foundation of self-reliance on which to build.

It is crucial to create a community of understanding individuals who are able to relate to each other on a personal basis about the disorder. A good group will provide a feeling of affinity while offering the most up-to-date information and resources about anxiety. It can help people gain new insight by dismissing many of the myths surrounding the disorders as well.

The benefits of anxiety support groups are great but the ADAA suggests that you first consult a physician about your symptoms before jumping on the bandwagon. Proper diagnosis and treatment is the best first step to take on the road to recovery. Without taking this step any of the anxiety support groups you join will be ineffective. The meetings are supposed to be attended in addition to an overall treatment plan provided by a professional.

While self-help is extremely important when it comes to this particular type of disorders it is still crucial that you seek medical attention if your symptoms interfere with your ability to function. If your anxiety interferes with your ability to navigate through everyday situations, you need to seek advice from your doctor. Anxiety support groups can always come into play later.

Let’s say that you have visited your doctor and you do have a significant problem that needs to be addressed.

You know that anxiety support groups can help but there are none in your area. You can always make the first step to creating one in your own community. The Anxiety Disorders Association of America has a guide on how to create anxiety support groups on its website.

This bold step is not for everyone. You have to be willing to commit to the project. It is important to be assertive and it is crucial that you be organized in your efforts. If you are not assertive or organized find someone who is dedicated to the cause as well and work in collaboration with him. After all anxiety support groups are all about collaboration.

Is Smell is tied to Memory?

2008-01-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Finding the right present for certain occasions can be very difficult especially if the person is under a great deal of stress or grief. If you know someone who could use a thoughtful token of your esteem to help get her mind off of an unpleasant or stressful situation, consider aromatherapy gifts on your next shopping adventure.

The sense of smell is strongly tied to memory. This powerful sense can help a person feel calm and relaxed after tense hours at work or tense hours in general. Aromatherapy gifts are a thoughtful way of helping someone through a tough situation by encouraging her to take a few minutes to unwind.

One of the most popular fragrances for relaxation is lavender. This well-received fragrance is abundant in aromatherapy gifts for its relaxing qualities. The lavender fragrance is often combined with vanilla for an extra-special effect. The vanilla is a traditional scent that is closely related to memories of growing up. There is a homey feel about vanilla. This scent mixed with lavender is a new classic among aromatherapy gifts.

The lavender and vanilla mixture is a favorite of mine because I received it as a gift from a friend years ago. I had just lost a loved one who had a long fight with cancer that was lost. During the hospital visits and the care and the funeral, I found myself grieving and exhausted. One person thought of aromatherapy gifts as an option for someone going through the grieving process.

There was a simple note of sympathy for my loss and an added message of kindness. This added message suggested that I relax and remember which is what I did. The aromatherapy gifts included lavender and vanilla scented candles, some bubble bath and after bath lotion. They also included lavender and vanilla linen spray.

I took time to relax in the bath and for the first time in months, I felt my muscles release and the tension melt away. The scent from the aromatherapy gifts lingered on my sheets and pillow case as I fell asleep that night. It was my first restful night’s sleep in a long time.

The aromatherapy gifts did not stop the grief but they made the process easier. I will never forget my special friends who recognized that taking a little time to relax and remember is so very important. I make sure to include aromatherapy gifts to anyone who needs a good relaxing memory or two.

The 3 Day Diet Plan?

2006-10-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

The 3 day diet is one of those trendy little diets that seems to be popular today.

If you follow the 3 day diet correctly, you can supposedly lose upwards to 10 pounds in just three days. That seems like a lot of weight to lose in such a short period of time, is it healthy or even possible?

While its certainly possible to lose 10 pounds or even more in just three days, it’s probably not healthy, and generally not recommended by health professionals.

The 3 day diet is invariably frowned on by nutritionists as being an overall a fad diet that is not very effective in producing sustainable weight lose. Sure you can lose 10 pounds in three days, but the chances are you’ll put it right back on again when you finish.

The 3 day diet isn’t really anything scientific or overly complicated.

It’s basically just your typical calorie restricted diet. Most formulas for it involve three meals a day consisiting of very limited portions of low fat, low sugar foods. Some examples of a few of the meals recommended in the 3 day diet include half a grapefruit and one slice of toast for breakfast; a half a cup of tuna (no mayo) and a slice of toast for lunch; and a three ounce portion of chicken, two cups of vegetables and one cup of ice cream for dinner.

Like many diets, the 3 day diet recommends drinking 4+ glasses of water daily, and allows you to add any low calorie seasonings to your food, such as Worchester sauce, spices, mustards, vinegars, salt and pepper, soy sauce or ketchup. It also allows for drinking tea, coffee, or diet soda, so long as there is no sugar added.

So does this kind of 3 day diet plan work?

Chances are you will in fact lose some weight if you stick to it. However, going from eating normal or oversized portions to eating the kinds of meals recommended in the three day diet is going to throw your body’s metabolism for a loop. Essentially, you’ll be on starvation mode, and the moment you resume regular food consumption you’ll promptly start gaining weight again.

The recommendation to drink plenty of water is really the only thing the 3 day diet does right. Everyone should drink at least 4 glasses of water a day, whether dieting or not, and ideally should drink even more.

Overall, the 3 day diet is not the best diet plan.

If you are otherwise healthy and just want to lose a few pounds for a reunion, wedding, or some other event coming up on the weekend, the 3 day diet may help, but in terms of an effective sustainable weight lose program its not going to help much in the long run.

An Icon --Birkenstock Sandals

2006-10-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

When it comes to shoes, I definitely value comfort above everything else.

I enjoy being able to walk around all day without noticing what I'm wearing on my feet because that most likely means that my shoes are comfortable and not bothering me. This is something that I especially appreciate in the summer months when I know that I'm going to be more active than at other times of the year. So before summer rolls around, I always make sure that I have a new pair of Birkenstock sandals on hand.

Contrary to popular belief, not all sandals and flip-flops are made equal.

You'd think that these types of shoes would automatically be comfortable, but that's definitely not the case. Over the years, I've personally tried out a lot of different footwear, but I keep coming back to Birkenstock sandals for a number of reasons. First of all, Birkenstock sandals are specially designed to fit the contours of the human foot -- unlike other brands that simply give you a flat foot bed. Because of this, Birkenstocks are able to support your feet better than other brands, making them more comfortable in the long run.

Another reason that I love Birkenstock sandals is that they are extremely durable.

They are made from the finest materials around, and usually last for several seasons. If you're tired of flimsy summer shoes that fall apart before the Fourth of July, then you have to give Birkenstock sandals a try.

Finally, I never get tired of purchasing Birkenstock sandals because there are so many different styles and colors available to consumers today.

If you're not very familiar with this brand, then you probably think that they only come in the classic "Arizona" style, which is an open design with two straps that fit over the top of your foot. While the Arizona continues to be a top seller, Birkenstock sandals are available in nearly 20 different styles, with numerous color variations for each. Because of this variety, you're sure to be able to find the perfect pair of Birkenstocks So no matter what kind of sandal style you prefer.

One thing that might discourage your from buying Birkenstock sandals is the price.

Yes, they are certainly more expensive than other brands out there, but just remember that you always get what you pay for. With normal wear and tear, Birkenstock sandals will likely outlast other brands, which of course increases their overall value.

So if you're looking for a great pair of shoes that you can wear all summer long, check out some Birkenstock sandals today. I think you might be surprised at just how stylish, durable, and comfortable these shoes are!

Treating Anxiety Disorders Naturally

2006-10-05T14:22:00.001-07:00

Anxiety disorders are very common among the American population, ranking as the most common mental health problem in the country. The spectrum of anxiety disorders includes panic attacks, agoraphobia, generalized and social anxiety as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. This spectrum of disorders is linked to heredity and environmental factors.

Traditionally, these disorders were treated with prescription medication and cognitive therapy. However, the disagreeable side effects of medication and the expense and time required to engage in cognitive therapy has many patients seeking natural approaches to treating their disorder. Anxiety supplements are growing in popularity across the board.

The first step should be to consult your holistic physician.

Anxiety supplements are useful, but many symptoms of the mental health disorder resemble physical diseases like hormone imbalance, hyperthyroidism or cardiac arrhythmias. These are serious physical conditions that require immediate medical attention and can not be treated with anxiety supplements. After consulting with your doctor an determine that your condition is mental and not physical, there are a number of options.

If you are not fond of the idea of taking prescription medications, anxiety supplements can be beneficial for you. The supplements have fewer side effects and they are much less daunting and less expensive. One of the most popular anxiety supplements is Chamomile tea. This calming agent can be taken in the traditional way, through drinking the tea or you can opt to take Chamomile capsules.

Damiana is another anxiety supplement that has a calming effect and has been used to treat mild cases of depression as well.

The herb is also used as a way to relax muscles and sedation. People with significant anxiety may benefit from taking capsules twice a day to elevate the symptoms naturally. However, Damiana should never be taken when pregnant. This supplement is very dangerous to a developing fetus.

Valerian root has been uses for centuries to help people battle insomnia and other sleep problems.

This herb is an excellent anxiety supplement. Some researchers compare the effects on the brain to be similar to Prozac without the severe side effects the antidepressant can cause. This anxiety supplement may also be used to reduce stress because it has a calming effect on the brain. Valerian was commonly used by the Greeks and Romans to treat sleep disorders naturally.

There are a number of other anxiety supplements available to help you treat your condition naturally.

While prescription medication and cognitive therapy may have negative elements, it is always wise to consult your holistic physician to determine what is causing your anxiety. It is essential that you rule out physical causes for the symptoms.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

How About Speed Dating?

2006-10-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

Dating can be a bit of a minefield, especially if you're just coming out of a divorce and haven't dated for years. There are some alternative dating ideas now that may appeal to people who don't want to go down the traditional route. Just going somewhere and hoping to be noticed is a hit and miss affair.

Singles bars have been around for a long time. They don't appeal to everyone, but at least it's clear why you're there. Everyone is in the same boat. Some of them have a telephone on the table and you ring the person at another table that you're interested in. It's not subtle but it's straightforward. It may seem like alternative dating now but they were very popular in the 1970s.

Dating agencies have become quite popular in recent times.

Professional people who lead busy lives like to use them. It's an alternative dating method that sorts out the wheat from the chaff. It's not foolproof but it's somewhat safer, as the clients have gone thru some sort of filtering system. A lot of agencies use a video system whereby the client makes a brief video of themselves and gets to watch other's videos. You don't have long to make an impression and it's best to just be yourself. You want to come across as a genuine person, not a phony.

Speed dating gives you an even shorter time to make an impression.

As an alternative dating technique, it can be a lot of fun. You sit opposite someone and you each have a few minutes to tell the other about yourself. Then, you move on to the next table and so on. If someone bored you to tears, it doesn't matter, it's all over very quickly. At the end of the evening, you pick out anyone that caught your fancy and go from there. There's no pressure and if you don't meet anyone you clicked with, you can go to the next session.

Many women are concerned about safety and the perils of trying to hook up with someone that you don't know.

A recent alternative dating idea addresses those safety issues in a most inventive way. There are agencies that run dinner parties, usually for between twelve and sixteen people. Single people go along and they are given the chance to meet other singles in a very relaxed, informal setting. The idea is to put people at ease and have a pleasant evening. You can mingle, not spending too much time with any one person if you don't want to. After the dinner and chit chat, you can arrange to meet someone again if they are agreeable. Alternative dating is meeting the needs of modern singles and is here to stay.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Still Wearing Glasses? Stop Contacts are In

2006-10-02T04:09:00.000-07:00

Glasses are a strange thing.

There is so much lore about them. The same glasses that make one guy look like a complete nerd, might make a buddy holly famous. Some people love their glasses, but I hated mine when I was growing up. People would call me the usual: four eyes, as if that were original. My parents wouldn't buy me contacts. My dad thought that lenses were good enough for him, that they'd be good enough for me too. You can bet all that changed when I got to college.

I ordered myself contact lenses from a place called 1 800 contacts on the internet.

It was pretty nice and easy, and since I knew my prescription, it was cheaper than going to the store for them. I noticed an immediate difference in how people treated me after that when I wore them. When I wore glasses, it was strange, people would sometimes assume I was very bright with my big owl eyes, and would always be likely to ask me questions about math or physics, or even current events in the newspaper, but after I started wearing my 1 800 contacts lenses, people didn't make as many preconceptions. I felt wonderful and free to be who I wanted to be.

I was glad that I ordered my contacts from 1 800 contacts, except that sometimes they would burn my eyes.

This is one of the most common side effects of contacts – eye irritation. If you wash them sufficiently, and frequently, it should not be too much of a problem, though. Another thing is that you have to remember to take them out every night, and to change them frequently. And then theres the feeling of having contacts floating around on your eyeball. It is weird. That is the only way I can describe it. Weird.

It is funny how much different I look with my contacts than with my glasses.

A few times I have met people who I used to spend time with, and they didn't even recognize me. Some times I'll even be introduced to old friends as my own cousin as a joke, and once that even worked. It is also nice to have contacts because you can see better than with glasses. This may sound strange, but glasses do not give you the full range of vision like contacts do. With contacts your entire peripheral vision is in focus.

The only thing that you have to watch out for is sensitivity.

Some people can not wear contacts, and so if they called 1 800 contacts and ordered a who bunch of them like I did, they would waste their money on something they could not even use. I'm glad I was lucky enough not to have that problem.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Experience The Benefits of Pilates Exercise

2006-09-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

The Pilates Method was developed by German-born Joseph Pilates in the 1920s by combining mind and body work through a controlled sequence of movement.

According to www.pilatesinsights.com, Joseph Pilates developed these movements based on his experiences with yoga, Zen meditation, martial arts, and other fitness techniques. Many dancers soon became avid practitioners and displayed the benefits of Pilates’ method through their fluid movements. Regular practice and mastery of the technique stretches, strengthens, and tones muscle, improves posture, flexibility, and balance, and unites mind and body. Almost nine decades later, the benefits of Pilates continue to be recognized by people who want to take a more controlled low-impact approach to fitness.

The benefits of Pilates are many, and through continued patience and dedication, movements can be mastered and the benefits clearly defined.

In addition to the benefits of Pilates mentioned above, regular practice of the method builds a strong, long, and lean body core using deep abdominal muscles. Pilates movements also reduce stress and tension, increase energy, improve circulation and range of motion, and strengthen the spine improving flexibility, which promotes back health and recovery from injury.

The benefits of Pilates matwork emphasizes the point that the body is the only tool needed to achieve physical fitness. There really is not need to exercise full speed ahead and possibly cause injury to your body. The old adage, “no pain no gain” is simply not true. A good work out does not have to leave you exhausted and sore.

The benefits of Pilates was again resurrected with a resurge in popularity along side yoga, tae chi, meditation, and turning the focus toward safer and more sensible forms of exercise and total body fitness.

Joseph Pilates said, “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.” This is another example of the benefits of Pilates; mental and spiritual health gained through controlled mind/body movements that increase blood flow and improve circulation throughout the body.

The entire body functions better with regular exercise; endorphins are released that improve out mood and outlook on life.

Pilates is not just a passing fad, it has been proven to be effective and beneficial to people of all ages. Joseph Pilates also said, “In ten sessions you will feel the difference, and in thirty you’ll have a whole new body.” I can attest that you will start feeling more toned after only three sessions, so go ahead and experience the benefits of Pilates for yourself!

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Let's take a Fitness Walk

2006-09-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

Americans, on the whole, are fatter than just about any other group of people in the world.

They also have some of the highest rates of Type-II Diabetes and heart problems in the world. Why are we so fat? Weight gain is usually a combination of two things: an unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise. Most people, when they decide to try and lose weight, only tackle part of the problem. They try dieting or taking pills or living off of lemon juice and cayenne pepper for awhile, but usually it doesn’t work. Though a healthy diet is important to losing weight, it’s still only part of the equation. If you cut down your calories but still sit on a couch or in an office every day, you’re not going to lose much weight. Interestingly enough, though many people are happy to try dieting, there aren’t many who only work at the other side of the equation: exercising.

So why don’t people exercise?

Part of it is attached to our mentality about exercising. “Exercising” brings up images of sweaty, unhappy people lifting weights in a smelly gym, and it sounds like a lot of work. However, exercising doesn’t mean you’re going to have to pump iron for a few hours every day. In fact, lots of things are considered exercising, from playing a pick-up game of basketball to gardening to just taking a walk around the block. Most studies have found that a half hour of exercise every day is enough to keep you healthy, and that half hour doesn’t even have to be all at once. You can skip rope for ten minutes in the morning, take a walk for ten minutes after lunch, and take a walk around the block for ten minutes when you get home and night and take care of all of your exercise for the day.

“But wait a minute,” you say, “How can walking be good for you?

I walk every day!” The average American walks for only about 1/3 of a mile every day. However, fitness walking is a great way to lose weight, especially because it’s so available. If you want to go swimming you have to go to a pool, change clothes, swim, change again, and go home or to work, but if you’re taking part in fitness walking all you have to do is walk out the door of your office.

Fitness walking is also an attractive exercise choice because it’s low-impact and virtually injury-free, and serves as a nice warm up for running or jogging.

Fitness walking is also easy to incorporate into any schedule, since if you walk fifteen minutes to work every morning and fifteen minutes back every evening you’ve already taken care of your exercise for the day, which will help you lose weight and stay healthy.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Hair Removal Cream and Its Nature

2006-09-25T12:35:00.001-07:00

For a woman who has ever had to shave her legs every few days or a man with a bit too much hair on his back they both understand the convenience of hair removal cream.

Hair removal cream is an easy and effective way of taking care of body or facial hair. It can be used by both sexes and is simple enough for anyone to use.

There are several choices of hair removal cream that can be purchased at your local drug store or department store. There are even creams formulated towards specific body areas including facial hair and bikini areas.

The cream is simply applied to the area where you’d like the hair removed from. Then after waiting for several minutes you remove the cream and voila the hair goes with it. It’s painless and it normally keeps the hair at bay for weeks at a time.

Although it seems like magic – one moment the hair is there, the next it’s gone – there is a logical explanation for it. Hair removal cream contains a chemical which in essence attacks the proteins that are found in hair. This breaks the hair up and allows you to simply wipe it off.

The chemical responsible for this is one ingredient in the cream. By itself it would be harsh on the skin and therefore the cream will normally contain several conditioners that work to protect the skin.

When hair removal cream was first introduced one of the major drawbacks was the aroma. It had a very distinctive strong odor that seemed to linger on the skin of the person using it. For this reason it wasn’t used on a regular basis but was seen as more of a special occasion product to be used before a vacation or a special event.

Today most hair removal creams have a pleasant odor and are used as part of a regular hair removal regime for both men and women. They save time and energy and the fact that they don’t leave the person with cuts or rashes makes them a very good choice.

One area that anyone who uses these products must be mindful of is that they are highly effective which means that if they come in contact with hair they will remove it this includes eyebrows and hairs on the head.

Therefore it’s important to be focused when using the product and it’s also prudent to keep it in a place where children cannot reach it.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Sweep Her off Her Feet with 1-800-Flowers

2006-09-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

1-800-Flowers is a very hand and useful resource if you are a guy, and are either married or dating.

There are hundreds of theories out there about what women want, and how to keep or make them happy. The Chinese scholar Confucius, the Greek Philosopher Socrates, and the famous physicist Albert Einstein are just some examples of the most brilliant male minds that have attempt to explore the perplexing and enigmatic subject that is women. And as of today, in 2006, the only solid fact that men have determined over the years is that all women like flowers. Hence the inherent value of a service like 1-800-Flowers.

1-800-Flowers is a great way to send that special someone any kind of message you want. It also catches them by surprise, because they’re not expecting it. And you know they’ll like it. Because they’re women. And that’s where our understanding of them ends.

The great thing about 1-800-Flowers is you can call them from anywhere, and they deliver your order to any location you specify.

They’re usually able to deliver your order the same day you place it, so long as you call before too late in the day. If its important that you get your order deliver that day, you should certainly call them as early as possible. 1-800-Flowers is a 24-hour service so you can call in the wee hours of the morning if you feel like it.

Another great thing about 1-800-Flowers is their variety of products. As one of the largest flower delivery services in the United States, they have a lot of resources at their disposal. Not only can they send just about any kind of popular flower you can think of, they also have a number of other products, such as gift baskets and candies, that they deliver.

Sending someone you care about a gift from 1-800-Flowers is perhaps somewhat impersonal by itself, but makes a great additional surprise as part of an overall gift package.

If you are really looking to sweep her off her feet, throwing in a delivery from 1-800-Flowers on top of everything else you have planned is a great way to do it. And if you’re like me and find yourself in the ‘dog house’ due to your overall lack of understanding of the strange phenomenon we call women, a service like 1-800-Flowers can be a great way to help you apologize for making mistakes that you’ll probably never fully comprehend.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Raw Food -- for Quality Vitamins and Minerals

2006-09-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

I recently received a disturbing email about the dangers of using plastic in the microwave.

There is a direct link between using plastic wrap over foods while heating them to cancer. There is also a link between freeze water bottles for consumption later. Both processes release toxins into the food and water. This is depressing enough in itself, but I have recently come across information about the benefits of raw food.

You might be wondering how I could find something that is considered beneficial as depressing.

The information about raw food is promising but it also makes you take as step back and consider how dangerous an average American diet really is. I am not necessarily a proponent of raw food; I am merely sorting through the information.

When I was pregnant with my daughter I did not go near the microwave.

I can’t say that I really believed that anything bad was going to happen. I just had that little feeling that told me to keep my distance. In this sense, I am aware of possible dangers but I’m not sure if I believe in them. But why take a chance?

I also washed my fresh fruit and vegetables thoroughly even before all of the hype about pesticides and other miscellaneous poisons floating around. It just seemed like a good idea because fruits and vegetables are often intermingled with dirt. I don’t like dirt and I dislike the idea of eating dirt even more so I washed them and continue to do so.

Here’s where the depression kicks in.

I am not working very hard to make sure that my food is safe. One of the ways that I do this is by cooking it thoroughly. The proponents of raw food suggest that cooking is detrimental to the molecular structure of the fruits and vegetables, or some such thing that I can’t seem to wrap my brain around.

The theory behind raw food is that the vitamins and minerals take a turn for the worse while cooking. We all know that we lose some of the vitamins and minerals as we cook. I originally thought that raw food would suggest that we don’t want to cook all of the nutrition out into the air or into the water.

However, raw food theory suggests that we actually mutate the vitamins and minerals into some kind of molecular creature that attacks our systems. Even the healthiest foods can contain harmful substances. This is depressing. Until they figure this whole thing out, I think I’ll dip into a pint of ice cream. At least I’m perfectly aware that it’s bad for me.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

--Blind Dates

2006-09-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

As the world gets larger with more and more suburbs infiltrating the globe, and with the biggest revolution in technology and the proliferation of the Internet, people are inevitably becoming more and more isolated.

Still, the urge to seek out viable relationships is still very much a part of human nature. Everywhere people are looking to find their “better halves”, and this prove challenging due to distance, work and our inability to find people we can relate to. This has led to more people hedging their bets and trying their luck on a blind date.

The blind date is not new; many people have been doing it for decades.

Even the idea of blind marriages has been traditionally done in many cultures throughout the centuries. Yet in our modern times, it is becoming a common occurrence for those who cannot bear to wait to meet that someone special either in a bar or at someone’s wedding reception.

Friends are the biggest organizers for setting up the blind date.

They usually have our best interests in mind, and feel compelled to pair two singletons together that may hopefully find relationship bliss thereafter. That is to say, that most people don’t actively try to have a blind date; it is normally a product of pity (or goodwill) from a friend who feels their intervention may help you extricate yourself from the rut of too many nights in alone.

This option of going on a blind date catalyzed by a friend has its positive and negative points. For one, your friend has essentially “screened” both of you for potential compatibility, and she or he can serve as a reference for a good judge of character. You can always blame him or her too, if it doesn’t turn out well. On the downside, however, the blind date could prove totally disastrous, with now an uncomfortable air permeating any social event when all of your friends get together.

Other options, though I think more risky, are finding people through the Internet, newspaper ads or dating agencies.

Going on a blind date with someone you meet through a dating agency may be the least risky, in the sense that you can ultimately verify the person’s identity and you have a middleman to broker the deal. Finding someone on the Internet may be the easiest and least daunting way of making first contact with someone, but you may have no way of knowing they are legitimate until you actually take the leap of faith and go on the blind date.

Finding someone through the “Men seeking Women” or variations thereof ads in the newspapers are probably the largest risk if you want to go on a blind date. There are no pictures, references or assurances that the person is not totally mad or unsuitable, and you usually get three or four clichéd lines that say absolutely nothing about their general character.

There is also the fairly new phenomenon of speed dating. It is akin to having a blind date twenty times over in a space of forty minutes and is not foolproof in any way. It may be an option if you would like to spend a masochistic time out with friends, but is probably not the wisest choice for a deep, long lasting partnership.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

--Oh That Valueable Crossword Puzzle!

2006-09-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

Few pastimes can be as satisfying as finishing a challenging crossword puzzle.

It doesn’t matter if you like easy, medium, hard or an extremely hard level of crossword puzzle like those from the New York Times. Some people like to do theirs in ink others insist on pencil only. There are even those who prefer to do their crossword puzzle in mechanical pencils so that the answers can still be corrected but the letters looked as neatly formed as those you would write in ink.

There are different shapes and styles of puzzle books some are laminated so that they won’t get wet from your beverage of choice that you’re sipping while filling in your answers. Some are large and filled with many puzzles designed to give you more bang for your buck. I’ve even seen a crossword puzzle book in the shape of a toilet in a nationally known bookstore. Yes, I admit I bought the book.

These challenging puzzles can be styled in various ways using a wealth of subjects. There are crosswords that have only words for objects you’d see in your kitchen, school, or local public library. When Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was due to be released in stores The New York Times released a Harry Potter themed crossword puzzle for that Sunday before the books release in stores.

They also have the power to unify people.

I’ve seen people who never speak to strangers see someone they don’t know working on a crossword puzzle in public and offer to help them find a seven lettered word for a mythical Egyptian bird (it’s phoenix by the way).

Many American bathrooms will have one of these puzzle books in them. How many people have used a friend or relative’s bathroom only to find a half finished puzzle and pen or pencil in a convenient spot? How many people have gone on to work on that crossword puzzle during that same bathroom visit?

Few things are as annoying as a puzzle that leaves you stumped for an answer. Here are a few tips that are sure to help you finish that crossword puzzle that’s been nagging at you.

Try leaving it alone and coming back to it.

Just giving it time has solved many puzzles. Rely on your tried and true sources: the dictionary, thesaurus, and crossword puzzle dictionary a serious word game enthusiast will have all three in his or her home.

The Internet is a valuable tool for looking up very difficult crossword puzzle clues. Type the clue in parenthesis and press enter. Many times your query will be sure to answer your question as well as teach you something you didn’t know before due to the copious additional knowledge you’ll find.

We hope this helpsYou!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

--Crossword Puzzles Can Undo Negative Feelings

2006-09-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

I recently went on a trip to Vegas with my girlfriend.

She is always nervous when flying and so sitting next to her is not always pleasant. For this trip I bought her a crossword puzzle book to keep her mind off of flying. I did not realize that this crossword puzzle book was going to start a new pass time for her.

I gave her the crossword puzzle book as we were sitting in the plane waiting on the tarmac to take off. She said that she had not done a crossword puzzle since she was in college and she had always enjoyed doing them.

She was so absorbed by her puzzle that she did not take the time to be nervous about the flight.

In fact she was shocked when the captain announced that we would be arriving in Las Vegas in 20 minutes. She proclaimed that this was the fastest flight that she had ever been on. After landing we picked up our luggage and caught a cab to our hotel. I was excited about being in Las Vegas and was visiting with the cab driver about what was new since the last time I had been there. I looked at my girlfriend because she was unusually quiet. She had the crossword puzzle book opened and was working on a puzzle in the cab. I could not believe it, we were in the most exciting city in the world and she was working a puzzle. She put the book away when we arrived at the hotel.

We had a wonderful time in Las Vegas. My friend did take every spare opportunity she had to work on a crossword puzzle when we were relaxing by the pool or in the hotel room. I was starting to think that she was obsessed with the puzzle book.

My friend and I work for the same company. After our trip to Las Vegas she began bringing a crossword puzzle to work each day to work on during breaks and lunch. She and another co-worker began doing the crossword puzzle in the metro newspaper everyday. At first they would work on the puzzle together, but then they began to each do their own. Soon it became a competition to see who could complete the crossword puzzle in the shortest time. Now they are getting to the point where they have rules and guidelines to follow to make sure no one is using a dictionary, the internet or getting the paper early to get a head start.

Some of the other workers in our company are getting annoyed by the competition. Little did I know that I would create this competition by giving that initial crossword puzzle book to my friend.

We hope this helpsYou!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

--A Juice Fast to Cleanse Your Body

2006-09-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

Are you considering going on a juice fast?

If so, it's a good idea of make juice yourself from a variety of fruits and vegetables, preferably organic. The whole purpose of a juice fast is to cleanse your body, so that's why organic produce is preferable and fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables are far better than canned or bottled juices, which have lost most of their nutrients through the processing. So, if you're going to be making your own juice, you'll need to pick out a juicer.

The Acme juicer is highly recommended by people who know the ropes of fasting. The champion is another juicer that comes highly recommended. Some other popular brands are Omega, Green Power, Oster, and Juiceman. An Acme juicer or any other quality juicer can cost 200 dollars or more, but if you think of the thousands of dollars in medical bills you can probably save down the road, 200 dollars doesn't seem like much. It's an investment.

The Acme juicer, or juice extractor, is manufactured by Waring, a highly respected company, known for making quality blenders found in many an American kitchen. One model is called the Acme White Supreme Juicerator. It has a vibration-free 550-watt motor, which is powerful, but also quiet. It is an induction-type motor that has no brushes that can wear out, and it requires no lubrication or maintenance. The juicer converts both fruits and vegetables into pulp-free juice with commercial quality stainless steel blades that have a floating action, distributing the pulp more evenly and reducing wear and tear. It disassembles easily for cleaning and comes with a five-year warranty. A citrus attachment is optional (but if you suffer from arthritis, some doctors recommend that you refrain from citrus fruits and citrus juice.

The Acme juicer is called a high yield juicer because it uses centrifugal force where a stainless steel basket inside spinning 60 times per second (that's right 60 times!) forces the juice from your fruits or vegetables through thousands of miniscule side openings. The pulp is left adhering to the sides. This efficiency means it extracts the maximal amount of juice. That's why it's high yield. The basket is precision-balanced and has a two-quart capacity. The juicer also has a patented, stable base called a gyro base that keeps it from moving despite the force of the motor.

Fresh juice should be consumed as soon as possible after being extracted because the very beneficial enzymes in the juice begin to break down as soon as it's extracted. And the fresh enzymes in fresh fruit are part of what make it so good for the human body.

Discover the Secrets of Anxiety Support Groups

2006-09-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Anxiety Disorders are seemingly growing in numbers and many people are looking toward anxiety support groups for help. Unfortunately, these organizations are not always easy to find. Some people simply complain about the lack of anxiety support groups in their communities while others take a proactive approach to the situation.

The Anxiety Disorders Association of America recognizes the importance of creating a supportive community of people who have similar conditions and concerns. A self-help approach to such a condition is not always the best approach without a community. Anxiety support groups are helpful in helping individuals find ways to relate to others while building a foundation of self-reliance on which to build.

It is crucial to create a community of understanding individuals who are able to relate to each other on a personal basis about the disorder. A good group will provide a feeling of affinity while offering the most up-to-date information and resources about anxiety. It can help people gain new insight by dismissing many of the myths surrounding the disorders as well.

The benefits of anxiety support groups are great but the ADAA suggests that you first consult a physician about your symptoms before jumping on the bandwagon. Proper diagnosis and treatment is the best first step to take on the road to recovery. Without taking this step any of the anxiety support groups you join will be ineffective. The meetings are supposed to be attended in addition to an overall treatment plan provided by a professional.

While self-help is extremely important when it comes to this particular type of disorders it is still crucial that you seek medical attention if your symptoms interfere with your ability to function. If your anxiety interferes with your ability to navigate through everyday situations, you need to seek advice from your doctor. Anxiety support groups can always come into play later.

Let’s say that you have visited your doctor and you do have a significant problem that needs to be addressed. You know that anxiety support groups can help but there are none in your area. You can always make the first step to creating one in your own community. The Anxiety Disorders Association of America has a guide on how to create anxiety support groups on its website.

This bold step is not for everyone. You have to be willing to commit to the project. It is important to be assertive and it is crucial that you be organized in your efforts. If you are not assertive or organized find someone who is dedicated to the cause as well and work in collaboration with him. After all anxiety support groups are all about collaboration.

--Aqua Aerobic Exercise Helpful to All People

2006-09-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

Aqua aerobic exercise is the ideal workout for people of different fitness levels.

This popular workout is popular among people of all shapes and sizes and of all ages as well. The benefits of aqua aerobic exercise are achieved with relative ease and you can increase the challenges to the activity with water exercise equipment, too.

Hydro-Tone offers a variety of water exercise equipment that will help its users maximize their aqua aerobic workout. This unique company has designed workout equipment that works with natural water resistance. The product helps you use your full range of motion while providing extra resistance from the water itself.

Many people opt to go to water for their workouts if they experience pain in their joints when engaged in regular land workout routines. Aerobic activity can be very hard on your joints. Using aqua aerobic programs help you reap the benefits of a regular land workout without the damage to sensitive joints.

Nevertheless, some people opt to incorporate an aqua aerobic workout into their land-based workout regime. Cross-training is idea for advanced individuals as well as those building up their fitness routine to a more challenging level of activity. The aqua aerobic activity will help strengthen joints to help your land-based workout and the activity also helps you avoid injury as well.

Aqua aerobic routines are commonly associated with the elderly or the morbidly obese but anyone benefits from the training. Adding water exercise equipment to your aqua aerobic fitness program will help you progress as you would through just about any land-based workout. The water-based workout also helps your joints strengthen enough to take the punishment many land-based workout dishes out.

If you are a workout enthusiast who wants to strengthen joints, tone muscles and burn fat then you may want to consider adding an aqua aerobic routine into your fitness regimen. You will find yourself surrounded by people of all different fitness levels and abilities but you will also find yourself burning fat, building lean muscle mass and strengthening joints.

Working out in water is an activity that can be accomplished any time of year. You can get some fresh air and exercise outdoors in the summer without breaking a sweat and you can have a nice, warm workout in the winter months by visiting your nearest gym.

Leaving your prejudices about aqua aerobic activity behind is a wise choice. There are too many benefits to adding this kind of exercise into your regular workout routine. Swimming in itself is quite beneficial to your overall exercise plan but a well-developed aqua aerobic program will quicken your progress.

We hope this helps You!

Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Jewelry's Best Friend

2006-09-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

Jewelry is a woman’s best friend, and a jewelry travel case is our best friend’s friend!

If you’re a person who loves traveling, you know just how easily our best friends like to tangle. The only way to keep this from happening is to go out, and pick up a one of these miracle workers. These cases are so helpful in ways that even you haven’t thought of yet. So listen up, and find out just how awesome a jewelry travel case can be!

They can come in just about every size and shape. Having a travel case is very beneficial because with it you can save loads of money. When you travel, and a very thin gold chain becomes tangled, it’s almost impossible to straighten the piece. Generally, once you start pulling and loosening, the beautiful necklace breaks. That means you’ve got to go out and replace it. By having a jewelry travel case you won’t ever have to go and spend money replacing a broken necklace.

The nice thing about having one for your accessories is that it also saves time. If you think about the countless hours you’ve spent trying to salvage that favorite bracelet or necklace of yours, your head would spin. If you had a jewelry travel case you would never again have to waste time trying to organize your jewelry.

Another strong selling point is that they are rather inexpensive. No matter what your budget may be, getting one of these blessings is possible! A jewelry travel case can come in many colors and styles, and even more sizes and shapes. Along with being very versatile in appearance, a jewelry travel case can really help with your stress level. Trying to untangle those tiny knots from an even smaller chain is enough to drive any person bonkers!

When buying one, it’s important to make sure that, regardless of what type it is, the product is lined with a soft fabric of some kind. This is very essential because this provides an extra benefit. When you slide your attractive pieces into the jewelry travel case, this fabric helps keep dirt, dust, and oils from getting on your jewelry. Sometimes this fabric type can even scrub off the grunge already on the necklace or bracelet.

One of these cases can save you money, time, sanity and can even keep your jewelry from getting dirty. They aren’t very expensive, and you can find them in your local discount stores, as well as online. Why on earth are you putting up with those tangled necklaces and destroyed bracelets? Getting a travel case for your jewelry is a sound investment, so go and get yourself the greatest invention man has ever created! A jewelry travel case is exactly what every woman needs!

We hope this helps You!

Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --The Best Weight Loss

2006-09-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

With so many diet and exercise programs out there it can be difficult to decide on the best weightloss plan to use.

Choosing a weight reduction program is no easy task but you can make a reasonable selection if you consider your goals and your lifestyle before jumping into what you may think is the best weight loss plan for you.

First of all you need to consider the core of your weight problem. Do you want to drop ten or twenty pounds? Are you fighting a life-long obesity problem? Is your weight associated with a recent pregnancy? Does depression or mood adversely affect your weight? In order to find the best weightloss program, it is crucial that you consider the source of your problem.

Depression is a serious matter. Rather than trying to find the best weightloss strategies to use a person who is depressed is better suited to research his mood condition. This individual may find that once the depression is treated, the pounds melt away. Treating the depression itself is often the best weightloss plan available.

A person who wants to drop some vanity pounds after giving birth would want to take a very different approach than someone who needs to lose a lot of weight that she has been carrying around for years and years. The best weightlosss program for one person may not be the best for another. The new mom could benefit from taking on a trendy six-week fat burning exercise program while the lifelong obese problem will need medical intervention.

Speaking of medical intervention, make sure that you talk to your doctor about the best weightloss program for you. You can save a lot of time and effort by simply asking your physician about which program would be best for you. Your doctor can help you start off in the right direction.

You doctor can also suggest whether you should start and exercise program. The best weightloss strategy for many individuals is to simply start a reasonable exercise routine. You may find that you don’t really need to diet as long as you increase your activity.

Others would not benefit from the exercise approach. Some people are not healthy enough to engage in many exercise routines while others can injure themselves if they engage in rigorous activity.

It is always a good idea to talk to your doctor about the best weightloss program for your needs and lifestyle.

We hope this helps You!

Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Lets eat healthy

2006-09-08T11:25:00.001-07:00

Are you eating healthy these days?

Let's take your age into consideration. So many people think they can eat poorly if they're young. However, this is not a habit to adopt so nonchalantly. Just because you're low in years, doesn't mean you should be scarfing down pizza, ice cream, and burgers everyday. All of these processed foods take a toll on our delicate bodies. Sure, we feel the impact a little more when we get up in years, but that's only because we've worn our bodies out.

Now, wouldn't it make more sense to take care of your body and treat it as a temple? Don't you want to live a long and healthy life? Well, if you're like most human beings, then I'm going to go ahead and assume your answer is yes. Once again, are you eating healthy?

What do you consider eating healthy? For me this has a lot to do with vitamins and fat. You want your daily requirement of vitamins, but you don't want to consume loads of saturated fat. Now don't get me wrong, our bodies need some fat; however, saturated fat is unhealthy fat. We all know it comes standard in ice cream and fast food. This is why it pays to shop wisely.

You should always prepare your meals at home, as opposed to eating out. This will not only save you a bundle of money, but it will better your health drastically. You see, when you prepare your meals, you can truly control what goes in them. This is key to eating healthy. It's prudent to avoid processed foods such as; crackers, chips, cereals, and snack foods. You want to acquire a diet that thrives off of organic produce and meats. If you don't go organic, then you're consuming a lot of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics. Vegetables, meats and dairy products all contain these if they're not organically grown.

Fortunately it's rather easy these days to attain the right information. Start eating healthy by getting online and researching some basic tips and pointers to better dieting. Virtually any food you can think of is picked apart online, providing nutritional information and serving size. Cyberspace is a great asset if you're wanting to achieve a healthy diet. The Internet can help you begin eating healthy.

If you are interested in eating healthy and staying fit, you can delve into cyberspace for answers to any queries you may have. With the World-Wide-Web on your side, you can surely learn how to eat healthy and do it quickly.

We hope this helpsYou!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness -- A bit of Inspiration to match beauty love and fitness

2006-09-07T04:51:00.000-07:00

The Thought of God created you.

It left you not, nor have you ever been apart from it an instant. It belongs to you.

By it you live.

It is your Source of life, holding you one with it, and everything is one with you because it left you not.

The Thought of God protects you, cares for you, makes soft your resting place and smooth your way, lighting your mind with happiness and love.

Eternity and everlasting life shine in your mind, because the Thought of God has left you not, and still abides with you.

We hope You've enjoyed this thought!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --link

2006-09-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

Beauty Love and Fitness --link

Beauty Love and Fitness --Using milk of magnesia as a beauty care product ?

2006-09-05T11:00:00.001-07:00

When we think of beauty care products, Milk of Magnesia does not usually come to mind, but it should.

I keep a bottle of the magnesia with my beauty products because it is the best thing to use for healthy pores that I have come across over the years. I have tried many products that claim to leave your skin flawless, but the only thing that really works is milk of magnesia. I don’t even use the name brand. The generic product works just as well.

I discovered the beauty secret while reading a biography about a silent film actress. Her biographer attributed the actress’s flawless complexion to her unusual beauty care products, including milk of magnesia.

The actress had beautiful skin well into her mature years and she claimed that the magnesium in her unique beauty care product left her skin radiant and she claimed that it slowed the aging process as well. Form the looks of her photograph; it seemed as if it worked wonders for her skin. She looked decades younger than she was.

I decided to try the silent film star’s unusual beauty care product and I was amazed at the results. I have tried a number of pore reducing and pore clarifying products over the years, but none have given the immediate positive results I have found when I use milk of magnesia as a beauty mask. My pores literally disappear. There is no trace of a single blackhead and the breakouts that harsh pore reducing products cause are not an issue.

Using milk of magnesia as a beauty care product may seem very odd, but it is worth a try.

You will be amazed at the results. I have been using the product for years. I recently discovered that the milk of magnesia contains magnesium. Magnesium is a natural element that is effective in drawing impurities out of your skin. The word magnesium comes from the Greek word meaning “magnet” and the word fits.

If you want to use a beauty care product that is all natural and does not leave your skin raw or blemished, consider adding milk of magnesia to your beauty care products. You simply use a cotton ball to apply the product on your face and wait for it to dry. Once your skin feels tight, rinse your face and you will be left with glowing skin and your pores will virtually disappear.

As far as the anti-aging qualities of the beauty care product, I can’t tell for sure. I have to wait a few years to make sure the results are the same for me as for the silent film star.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Finding love is as important as finding air

2006-09-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Finding love is as important as finding air.

Almost everything we are wanting boils down to us wanting love or us wanting happiness. We think we will find love "out there," so we look for a partner to make us happy. Sometimes we find such a person, and it seems to satisfy our hunger for love at least for a while. It is hard to find lasting love outside. Yet most people keep looking for it out there, and seldom do they look where love always can be found: inside our own hearts.

This notion of love within us is so easily dismissed as false, or sappy, or mythical that we write it off before we even give it a chance. But it is so vital, so real, and so simple. Finding love is always in inside task.

How do you find love within? Finding love is something to approach properly. Well, in a way you do not have to find it because you are it. A spiritual book called A Course in Miracles says: "Teach only love, for that is what you are." This means to share your true self. Teach not only with words, but also with the fullness of your heart. Your inner most being, you deepest light, is pure love.

You-as-love may not be what you now think of yourself to be. You may feel like you are a mind, a bundle of busy thoughts and random feelings. But this is only the superficial level of "you." Beneath all that, you are love. You are pure light.

The thoughts and feelings at the surface are often your mind's attempt to look for love. They are just part of you, a small part. Usually this search comes in the form of looking outside for a romantic partner. Your thoughts and emotions then are always directed in an outward search. Simply put, your mind believes it will find love out side itself.

So, how is it going? Has it worked for you? Has it really worked? Be honest.

If you cease to look for love outside (usually by trying to find romance or approval), you will still want love, but you will more easily sense it within. Be willing to stop your search all together.

"Oh come on, I can't do that! Give me a break! Everyone looks for love!" The need for finding love is the common denominator among people.

Which part of you just said that? Or said something similar? Was it the mind or was it the heart that already is love? It had to have been the mind. The simple truth is this: your mind will still search for love, but your heart alone feels it.

So when I say "stop searching for love" what I mean is that your mind will not necessarily stop searching but its search does not have to be all consuming. Do not take its search so seriously, and instead be the love that you are. Start finding love in yourself, despite your mind's attempt to find it elsewhere. This is the key.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Acrylic nails the safe and not so safe

2006-09-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

The use of acrylic nails is one method for artificially strengthening or lengthening nails.

It is an option to help the consumer who has, for some reason nails that are weak, damaged, or short. Some people have brittle nails and it is difficult for those nails to grow beyond a certain length. Some consumers choose to have acrylic nails applied for s special occasion or a function where they want to look their best and they want their nails to look their best as well.

Today, the consumer has several options available when choosing a nail overlay.

Acrylic nails are believed to be the strongest and the most durable and long lasting of all the options. As with any nail option chosen, the acrylic nail application should be done well and with care. Otherwise, the nails may be too thick and would appear unnatural. It is important that as you consider the application of acrylic nails that you find a professional manicurist who is an experienced in the application of acrylic nails. Doing so should help you ensure that you will achieve a professional result and have thin, natural-looking nails.

Once the choice is made to have acrylic nails applied, your nails will need regular maintenance.

Acrylic nails usually need to be filled in every two to three weeks – however this really depends on how fast your natural nails will grow. For some people who are tough on their nails, these visits will be more frequent in order to avoid nail loosening. This can lead to nail mildew if the acrylic nail becomes loose and if water gets trapped underneath the acrylic nail.

The use of acrylic nails is fairly recent. The acrylic nail is a nail that is pasted onto the real nail. Acrylic nails are not natural are made by creating a chemical powder and liquid.

Today, experts consider that ethyl methacrylate (EMA) is the best chemical liquid available for acrylic nails and is considered safe. A second option that seems to be available is discount nail salons is Methyl Methacrylate or MMA. This chemical liquid may certain harmful effects that may include fungal infections, nail deformities and other problems.

The only reason that MMA is chosen by some for their acrylic nails is that MMA’s cost is less than the cost of EMA. The FDA, Food and Drug Administration, last year did a cosmetic ingredient review of EMA, found it safe and reinforced its recommendation that MMA not be used in nail salons. Keeping this in mind, you way want to pay a little extra and get acrylic nails the FDA views safe.

If you choose acrylic nails, you can rest assured that it is the most commonly-used artificial nail in use. Choosing this nail means that finding a manicurist when traveling should not be difficult if you need repair or maintenance of your artificial nail.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Go EZ on your neck and back by using ab-exercise equipment Pt.1

2006-09-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hey people, lets love our necks and backs!

When you look at your body in the mirror, are you happy with what you see? If not, then now's the time to do something about it. If you're already dieting, then you're definitely on the right track. But changing your eating habits is only part of the equation. In order to get the body you really want, you need to work out regularly. A great way to start is by trying out some ab exercise equipment that you can use in the privacy of your own home.

Professionally designed ab exercise equipment can be very effective at helping you obtain the clearly defined abdominal muscles that you would love to have. There are a variety of different machines for you to choose from, each having different looks and incorporating different body motions. Ab exercise equipment ranges from the simple to the complex.

For example, you can purchase something as basic as a roller, or something as advanced as an entire workout bench with adjustable tension bands, leg rests, and weights. The kind of ab exercise equipment that you choose really comes down to a matter of budget and space. If you can't afford it or don't have any place to store it, just don't buy it.

Is ab exercise equipment any better than doing sit-ups and crunches? The answer is definitely yes, for a couple of different reasons. First of all, you can do hundreds of sit-ups or crunches every single day without making any progress because in order for those exercises to be effective, you have to maintain perfect form throughout all of your reps. Most people simply can't do that, and when they don't see the bulges around their middles getting any smaller, they just give up on the whole thing.

Purchasing the right ab exercise equipment can change all that. Many of the products available on the market today are designed so that you have to put your body in perfect position or the machine won't work. In other words, if you're not sitting on the seat exactly right or if you're not placing your hands in just the right spot, you won't be able to get the moving parts to move. Better still, most of today's ab exercise equipment is much more comfortable than sit-ups or crunches. You won't be lying on the floor or putting your hands behind your head, so you can kiss the related back and neck pain goodbye.

Getting the killer abs that you want is not going to be easy, but you can give yourself an edge by purchasing home ab exercise equipment today. Then, with consistent work, dedication, and effort, you'll soon be able to show off a whole new you.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Go EZ on your neck and back by using ab-exercise equipment Pt. 2

2006-09-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hey people, lets love our necks and backs!

There are so many choices for people looking for ab exercise equipment. I am not a big fan of the traditional sit-up.

The exercise is very hard on my back and I do not get the in-depth work out that I should when I do old-fashioned sit-ups because I simply tire out too easily. I found that doing crunches are more effective, but I am looking for ab exercise equipment that will optimize my workout.

It is easy to cheat yourself when you work out, especially when you are doing ab crunches. Some of the ab exercise equipment on the market offers a way to work out effectively without taking subconscious shortcuts in your workout routine. For example, some ab exercise equipment is designed to help you keep in form while doing crunches.

It is very easy to lose form while doing crunches. It is also easy to rely on your arms and neck to pull your weight instead of your abdominal muscles. When you rely on your neck and arms to pull your weight you are not accomplishing anything for your abdominal muscles. The ab exercise equipment helps you position yourself comfortably and it helps you work on your target area.

Ab exercise equipment can also be a great motivator for some of us. It is much more appealing to work out on a machine than it is to work out on a floor. This additional motivation is the key to a consistent workout. Consistent workouts lead to results.

Buying an ab exercise machine can give you a push in the right direction in your workout program. This alone is worth the purchase.

I own a few ab exercise machines and I own a couple exercise machines that incorporate abdominal muscles in the workout routine. I have seen wonderful results and I recommend them to anyone who wants to trim her waistline. You are building muscle while working out on the ab exercise machines and this burns more calories. Consistent workouts on the equipment lead to consistent calorie burning, which leads the loss of fat.

Some argue that ab exercise equipment does nothing to improve your workout. You may be able to achieve the same results with traditional sit-ups and crunches. However, the ab exercise equipment helps you do the exercises correctly without a spotter. The equipment can help give you the motivation and incentive you need to get started. If you never get started, you never see results.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness -- Backpacking a fashionable way to travel

2006-08-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

Once the preserve of college students on a shoestring budget, backpacking has become a fashionable way to travel.

Many tour operators who conventionally only offered plane-train-bus-cruise tours have of late started offering backpacking tours to cater to the changing needs of the travel industry.

Backpacking is adventurous, backpacking is exciting and best of all, backpacking is a great way to go off the beaten track and discover lesser known areas, even in popular tourist spots.

I once went on a guided tour to Goa in Western India. I saw the popular tourist attractions, stayed in the regular tourist hotels and went to the exorbitant tourist markets. I had a fairly decent time and thought it was a good trip.

Some years later, I again went to Goa. This time around, I went with a few adventurous friends who decided to go backpacking through Goa. Believe me when I tell you that the trip was an eye-opener! I discovered an altogether different side of Goa – far removed from the done to death, regular tourist trail. I had the opportunity to visit exotic, lesser-known spots, meet and interact with the local populace, try delectable local specialty cuisine and even attend a rave party or two! And this adventure backpacking trip cost me a fraction of the high-priced tourist trip I had earlier been on! Since then, whenever I decide to travel to a new destination, I always ensure that I explore the backpacking option first.

Through the years, I’ve developed my own approach to backpacking.

I’ve found the Lonely Planet guides a good source of information. And backpacking sites online always have great tips and backpacking tricks. I especially learnt a lot from the backpacking forums, from people who are similarly inclined to go backpacking through various countries and regions, and who have actual experiences to share. Since they’ve been there and done that, and lived to tell the tale, I tend to trust their judgment and respect their accomplishment.

Backpacking.net’s Jim for instance, offers a list of ten essential items that any backpacker needs to have in her/his back pack for a safe backpacking trip. This list includes a map of the area, a compass, a flashlight (or headlamp), extra food, extra clothes, sun glasses, a basic first aid kit, a pocket knife, waterproof matches and a fire starter.

He also mentions that the most important item is not on the list – and that is common sense. I couldn’t agree more! When you are back packing, a number of situations could arise – from confrontation with unfriendly elements through danger from wild animals to accidents. There is no simple or easy way to predict such things and to be prepared for them. One can however, carry loads of common sense around and think on the feet to deal with the situations the way it needs to be dealt with.

Trust me. If you follow simple guidelines and go prepared with an open mind, a backpacking journey can turn out to be the best vacation you’ve ever had. It’s inexpensive, adventurous and best of all enjoyable! Happy backpacking!

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Backpacking in the woods of Ontario

2006-08-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

Backpacking

I went on my first backpacking trip when I was ten. My dad was always quite an outdoorsman, and I had come along on fishing trips many times already, waking before down to drive out to the lake and catch the fish feeding on morning stillness under a soft blanket of mist, but this was to be something altogether different.

You see, on those trips, although the morning lake sometimes provided moments of the illusion of solitude, the noise from the road, shattered it every few minutes. And later in the day, the motor boats destroyed it completely.

Backpacking was something else completely.

We drove all the way from our home in Detroit, up into the woods of Ontario. We stayed overnight in a rustic motel and got an early start. At first, it was just like the lake – even more so, because it was early, and there was already a crowd milling about. This was only because we had chosen a popular spot to begin our journey. Before dusk, we were bathed in a stillness more profound than any I had seen on that lake, a stillness which would last for the rest of our backpacking trip.

How can I describe that first night, camping on a rise above that giant, mist-covered lake? The loons called and called, lonely and longing, beginning below usand trailing off among the interlocking lakes branching into eternity. Night creatures scurried around about us, going from stillness to frantic motion to stillness again, as all night, the wind fell and rose and fell, and the moon ceaselessly rippled on the water's bright skin. I can remember all of it – every sound, and wished to stay awake for the duration of the night, yet somehow, sleep overtook me quickly in the exhaustion of a full day's hike, and I awoke fully refreshed.

And then there was the next morning, awakening to the water lapping softly below us, and the smell of a cooking fire. It's a curious thing about cooking outdoors; the multitude of aromas – the burning wood, the pine trees, the wind from the lake – every thing adds its flavor. I remember being quite sure that the pancakes which my dad cooked that morning were the best thing that I had ever tasted.

Our backpacking trip was over far too quickly.

Nine days and it was over – such a paltry duration when confronted with the infinite expanse of nature. I remember on the last day, my dad showed me on a map where we had been – that little speck, the lake we first camped beside, that tiny snake, the ridge that had seemed to mighty as we climbed it, the ridge that skinned my knees twice and left my legs throbbing. It was tiny, a little patch of knowledge drowning in a massive sea of green. I didn't know whether to despair or laugh, seeing how much there was to explore – so much that in a dozen life times, I would never see it all.

Finally I chose laughter, and though I still have seen but a speck of the whole spectacular natural world, and will never see it all, I have returned many times to try.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Why judge a headache change it!

2006-08-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Healing Headaches with the power of your mind is not only possible it is natural.

There is certainly nothing wrong with taking aspirin or other pain killers to help ease a headache. But there are other ideas and internal process you can take to ease the pain. Use these approaches and ides along side of any medication you may be using from a doctor.

First off, start thinking in terms of transforming the headache, instead of getting rid of it. Getting rid of it just adds more mental noise and judgmentent. Shift your attention from judging the headache to transmuting it.

Next, explore what a headache really is. Do not explore your idea of it, instead explore it. Feel it. It is there right? Feel it. Get a sense of the sensation. Go into it. It has been said many times that what you resist persists, and what you embrace you can erase. Approach your headache in this fashion. Give in to it.

Giving into it is surrending to the fact that you have a headache. It does not mean you are being self-destructive. This does not mean you truly want to feel pain. It just means that you want to accept the pain that you are feeling now.

Acceptance opens the door for a more spacious feeling in your brain.

Acceptance of a headache flues a sensation of openness, and that is what brings about the healing. Openness is peace of mind. Openness is a calmness that surrounds the headache. Feel a sense of openness amidst the headache. This is how you heal headaches.

Healing headaches is not difficult, because openness is your natural resting state of awareness. Openness is like the ocean; your headache is like a floating piece of seaweed. Rest in the ocean and the headache will become far less intense.

So, the trick to healing headaches is to let the seaweed (headache) float in a sea of awareness. Be the observer of your headache, instead of being trapped in it. Being trapped in a headache is the pain. Stepping outside of the headache is freedom from it.

The best time to practice this is when you do not have a headache. Pretend that you do have one, from time to time. This may sound strange but it works. Feel your head. Feel as if you have a headache and then try to get a sense of being larger than the headache.

Then, next time you have a real headache, you will have gained some skills. Healing headaches happens when you become bigger than the pain. NOT bigger in the sense of being able to withstand the pain; just bigger in the sense of feeling bigger, feeling more expansive. By all means, continue to take aspirin. But at a certain point you may find it not necessary.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Aloe Vera for beautiful strong skin & moisturizing use

2006-08-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

Aloe is a genus of plants belonging to the Asphodelaceae family, and is related to onions and asparagus.

The Aloe genus appears naturally in Africa, although many members of the genus are popular houseplants and can be found around the world. The most famous member of the genus is Aloe Vera, known for its medicinal uses and applications.

Though there are several common medical uses for Aloe Vera, the most frequent use of the plant is in the form of a topical gel. Gels made from Aloe Vera are used to treat burns and minor scrapes.

Aloe Vera benefits range from soothing inflammation, pain relief, and a reduction in the likelihood of infection. Studies have also shown that regular use of an Aloe Vera based gel will actually speed the healing process in minor wounds, and even severe burns. It has been used in this capacity for hundreds of years.

The thick leaves can be snapped open, and the moist open ends of the leave can be rubbed onto a burn or scrape directly.

In industrialized areas, the moisture form the Aloe leaves are extracted and made into the popular gel most people are familiar with. In more recent years, it has become more popular than ever and has found its way into skin lotions, cosmetic products, shampoos, lip balms, soaps and sunscreens.

Some Aloe Vera benefits include a strong moisturizing capacity, and its extract contains a number of vitamins and minerals that are believed to promote healthy skin. It is a very gentle substance in itself, so one of the benefits of Aloe Vera is that it can be used in sensitive areas, such as around the eyes.

Aloe plants, including Aloe Vera, have also found medicinal uses internally. Used in this way primarily as a laxative, the juice from aloe can be dried into a dark powder composed of yellowish granules that are quite bitter to taste.

Internal use of Aloe is marketed as a treatment for coughs, ulcers, muscle pain, headaches, and even cancer and HIV. The only proven Aloe Vera benefit in internal use is the relief of constipation. Additionally, even in this use, internal use of the plant has a number of side effects, can cause nausea, and should not be taken by women who may be pregnant.

There is a lot of hype and mystery surrounding the Aloe genus, especially its most popular member Aloe Vera. Clearly, many Aloe Vera benefits are proven, especially the ones involved in external use and in skin care. Its benefits for internal use are somewhat dubious, however.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Adventure Travel

2006-08-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

It is said that travel is food for the corporate soul, or the mom and pop (mother and dad) shopkeepers and of course we won't forget the home-base business owners. Seriously! In the stress-packed lives that we lead, it has become a norm for most executives to indulge in a fair bit of recreational travel.

Gone are the days when travel was purely for business related purposes. Nowadays, most busy executives use their leave or holidays to indulge in travel for relaxation. But the concept of travel itself is changing. No longer does it entail visiting the same old touristy places. The buzzword for our times is adventure travel. And the more adventurous, the better.

Adventure travel is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it has been around for quite some time now. When earlier travelers went off the beaten track and sought out places where the tourists would not follow them, adventure travel was born. And ever since, as more and more people discovered that they could see and do a whole lot more than what the brochures offered, adventure travel has steadily grown to become the number one form of travel worldwide.

But what exactly is adventure travel?

And how does one go about becoming an adventure traveler?

To answer these questions, we must turn to an unlikely field – sports. Or extreme sports to be more precise. When the challenge offered by regular sporting activities became too tame and mild for those who sought extra thrills, the field of extreme sports took shape. And when those select few who liked their sports as much as their travel got roped in, the field of adventure travel was born.

It is because adventure travel does just that. It provides travelers with the adrenaline rush that extreme sports brings while allowing them to see place and do things that they had never imagined possible. But like all good things, this too will not last long. This is because ever since adventure travel proved to be an attractive travel option, scores and scores of people have become its fanatic followers. So much so that special adventure travel packages are being created to cater to the demand.

Most reputed travel agents, who earlier only offered conventional travel packages now also offer adventure travel escapades. And with the demand seemingly perpetual, even more players are getting onto the scene.

So the next time you decide to go in for a travel adventure that will in all probability change your life, you might as well consider adventure travel. Not only will it satiate your need for travel, it will also give you a healthy dose of adventure to make your trip more memorable!

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Romantic Love getaway anyone?

2006-08-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you and your significant other ventured off to some far off land?

How about a weekend getaway on a sandy beach? Sound familiar at all? Well, if this sounds far from reality, then maybe it's time you prioritized your fun calendar.

Granted most of us have to work on a daily basis, but we want to make sure our lives are infused with some much-needed and much-deserved R and R. It's time to have fun again with that one you love. Don't let the spark flicker out! We all know that in order to make it as a couple, time must be spent together. How about a sunny romantic destination spot, minus the children and daily stresses? It's probably just what you and your loved one need.

Be honest; when was the last time you and your spouse scurried off to a romantic destination?

If you were to ask me, I would have to say about a year ago. I know, I know, this is rather sad, but just like you, I struggle with the routine chaos called life. Fortunately I hopped online the other day and did some browsing. In no time at all I had planned a romantic destination for just me and the wife. It may not be for a couple of months, but at least it's taken care of in advance.

This is key when planning a wonderful romantic destination trip. You should always plot it out ahead of time. This way you can acquire that hotel of your choice. Possibly even the suite of your choice if you're willing to fork over the bucks.

The great thing about planning a romantic destination vacation via the Internet is the amazing deals. Get ready to be flooded with packages that are all inclusive. These are perfect if you want to travel and relax hassle free. Your room, plane tickets, and dining can all be taken care of ahead of time. Get ready to enjoy life.

Are you looking to map out that ideal romantic destination spot for you and your spouse? If this is the case, it's time to get jacked into cyberspace. Simply punch in the romantic destination of your choice and you will be relieved at how easy it is now days. Take a gander at the best B and Bs, and pinpoint that perfect lodging that will make this trip one to remember. You can even plan out a dining schedule in the restaurants of your choice. It's all easy with the world at your fingertips.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Human bodies must get ample Calcium!

2006-08-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

One of the most important minerals needed by the human body is calcium.

It is important for growth, maintenance and reproduction. Finding the right calcium source is essential for healthy bones and teeth.

It also aids in blood coagulation, transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction and relaxation. Maintaining a normal heartbeat, stimulation of hormone secretion, activation of enzyme reactions, and other body functions all require small amounts of calcium.

The most common place to find calcium is food. Dairy products are the most significant calcium source. This includes milk, yogurt, most cheeses and buttermilk. Low fat or fat free versions are the best choices when choosing a calcium source. One cup of skim milk or non- fat milk will have more calcium than one cup of whole milk since calcium is not contained in the fat portion of the milk. This means if you remove the fat you actually get more calcium in the same serving size because it you are replacing the fat with more of the calcium source portion of the milk.

Green leafy vegetables including broccoli, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, and bok choy or Chinese cabbage are a good calcium source. Other green vegetables may not be a good calcium source because their fiber and oxalic acid content interferes with the body’s absorption of the mineral.

Another group of foods that are high in calcium

Another group of foods that are high in calcium are salmon and sardines, canned with their soft bones. Shellfish and nuts such as almonds and Brazil nuts contain calcium, but it is difficult to eat enough of these foods to consider them an adequate calcium source.

Several food products, such as breads and orange juice, are enriched with calcium to provide a calcium source for people who dislike dairy or cannot tolerate it. Lactose-free milk and cheese is also available. People who are lactose intolerant have trouble digesting the sugarin milk, which is called lactose.

The amount of calcium a person needs varies depending on age, sex and special needs. Too much calcium, for a limited period of time, does not usually cause problems. The exception is an increased risk of kidney stones in those already susceptible to them. Too little calcium can lead to osteoporosis, and hypertension.

A total intake of up to 2,000 milligrams per day of calcium is generally recommended and thought to be safe. The preferred calcium source is calcium-enriched foods and dairy products, but calcium supplements may also be used.

An 8-ounce glass of milk equals 300 milligrams of calcium, as does 6-ounces of yogurt. Swiss cheese contains 520 milligrams of calcium in a 2-ounce serving. Two ounces of sardines with their bones equals 240 milligrams of calcium. Vitamin D is also necessary for the body to absorb calcium.. Now our bones are sured-up for our aerobic work out!

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Freinds

Beauty Love and Fitness --Decoritive and Ornamental Seashells Adds Beauty to Our Life

2006-08-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

You should be sure to know all about seashells before buying them, or you are likely to be taken advantage of because of your ignorance of the subject.

I have spent hours and hours combing the beech and, take it from me, people pay ridiculous amounts of money for absolute junk all of the time. Why, I can tell you, for example, that those same sand dollars that I find in droves on the sea shores of the San Francisco bay area, people are buying for 5, 10, or even more dollars. I mean, perhaps its worth a few bucks to find them, clean them up, and make them convenient by selling them at the store.

If you know anything about seashells or other marine products, you will make wise purchases, unless you live so far away that there is no alternative but to buy them for exhorbinant rates.

Those who know about seashells will tell you that a good conch shell is worth buying. Even though they sell them for upwards of thirty dollars to naïve tourists in Jamaica, which is absolutely ridiculous as a price, these shells really are treasures of the sea. They have a substantial size, a beautiful, intricate design, and the best part is that you can actually hear the sea in them if you hold them to your ear. And of course, there is that ever popular trait of conch shells made famous by Lord of the Flies: conch shells can be blown into at the end resulting in a clear, beautiful, and brilliant tone. There's not much about seashells more interesting than a musical one.

Of course, seashells can be bought, ordered, or found for all kinds of purposes. They can be used for decorations, making excellent tools in collage. They can be used as ornamental soap trays, as wall hangings, to adorn jewlery and clothing. They can be even hung as wind chimes which make a delightful noise when the breeze blows through them. There is not much about seashells not to like, honestly.

Seashells begin their life as the homes of crabs, clams, mussels, and the like, but end them as fine works of art, each individually tailored by the master crafter, mother nature, fit for admiration by young and old alike.

I've been fascinating by seashells since I was ten years old and first took a journey to the water. Gazing into that deep blue sea, who could help being fascinated by the intricate and amazing existences of the creatures that live inside it.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Cultered Milk Products?.. Great Digestion Great Health?

2006-08-30T03:17:00.000-07:00

Since true fitness and health are one, lets see the role bacteria plays on the stage of our fitness and health...

There are good and bad bacteria as far as our health goes.

With 60 to 70 million Americans suffering from various digestive diseases, that means we need to pay attention to those little critters working 'round the clock inside of our bodies.

Acidophilus, a common organism in yogurt and cultured milk products, such as kefir, that are said to foster a healthy balance of bacteria in the stomach. It's one of the "good" or "friendly" ones, out of about 400 types of bacterial that live in our intestinal tract and, for women, in the vagina as well. It's helpful because it aids manufacturing of B vitamins and production of lactase and other antibacterial agents.

Without good bacteria, also called probiotics, living in the gut, digestive processes go haywire. In a healthy state, our bodies just naturally maintain the proper balance. Some of the things that disrupt the natural functioning of our gut are preservatives and other additives in our foods, diets with a very high content of fat, birth control pills, alcohol consumption, and even stress.Acidophilus supplementation can help when things are out of balance.

Eating yogurt won't necessarily help.

You have to read the labels because some of the yogurt on grocery store shelves don't actually contain any viable acidophilus due to the fact that they've been highly processed. It's difficult to process foods so that we're safe from harmful bacteria and yet keep the helpful bacteria alive.

Here are some of the potential benefits of supplementing your diet with acidophilus. A really big one is the suppression of candida, a type of yeast that can be very harmful, especially to our reproductive system and urinary tract.

If you like to visit other countries, you'll be happy to know that supplementing your diet with acidophilus while abroad can help thwart proliferation of infectious organisms people commonly encounter in countries that do not have highly developed systems of public health. It can also help control both diarrhea and constipation. And it helps reduce internal gas, bloating and bad breath. Some find that it even helps counteract lactose intolerance and helps lower cholesterol due to its enhancement of the body's ability to absorb fats.

There's more!

It may also enhance immune system function, aid in the treatment of respiratory infections such as sinusitis and bronchitis, and lower the risk of asthma, hay fever and eczema.

Not bad for an organism too tiny to see with the naked eye.

We hope this helps You!

Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Winning Over Acne (Naturally)

2006-08-25T04:26:00.000-07:00

There are a myriad of acne alternative treatments being sold today, all purport to clear up your skin pronto. Many websites are full of pages of testimonials from people who have used the treatments and been cured.
And some of them have been.

The trouble is that an acne alternative that works for one doesn't work for another. No matter what the claims of the various people who sell skin care products, facials, and nutritional regimens to clear up your skin, nobody knows until a particular treatment is tried on an individual whether it's going to do much good. Unfortunately, that means for most of us, it's hit or miss.

Once you've gotten fed up with the antibiotics, topical treatments and Accutane offered by your dermatologist, where do you begin? Or, maybe you never wanted to go that route in the first place. Whatever drove you to seek a nontraditional acne alternative, bravo, you have to begin somewhere.

First, consult widely. Chances are very good that you know several people who have had acne and cleared it up or who have it now and are in the process of clearing it up. Learn from their experience. Take notes. Then try some of the things that have worked for them. Hope for the best, but realize that it might take some time before you hit on the combination of products, treatments and lifestyle changes that will help you the most.

Another thing is that some acne alternative products containing the same basic ingredients vary greatly in price. Learn what the active ingredients are in products and try the less expensive versions of them before you pay for the more costly ones.

It's also a great idea to seek the help of professionals. Naturopaths have regiments of vitamins, herbs and gentle cleansers that can work wonders.

What sorts of herbs or other common ingredients might make a good acne cleanser?

Here's one: oatmeal and cornmeal mixed with plain yogurt. This makes a gentle cleanser that has a bit of exfoliating action. For this gentle acne cleanser, use 1/2 cup of either oatmeal or cornmeal and mix it with enough plain yogurt to turn it into a paste. Then apply to the face (avoiding the eye area) and wash off with water. Oatmeal tends to absorb things (such as oil and dirt) and it also helps soften the skin.

A facial mask to use after your acne cleanser is a combination of apples and honey. Grate one medium-size apple and mix it with about five tablespoons of honey. Apply it to your face (avoiding the eyes) and leave it on for about 10 minutes. Then splash it off with cool water. This is a great treatment for oily skin, and certainly costs less than a mask on sale at the drug store.

The very expensive prescription medicine Accutane is actually derived from plain old Vitamin A, and under a naturopath's care, you can take high doses of Vitamin A for predetermined periods, along with other vitamins and herbs and potentially clear up your skin without the side effects of Accutane, which, if you are female, can include birth defects in your children should you become pregnant while taking the drug.

A promising acne alternative is light therapy. For many, acne is cleared up with the application of red and blue ultraviolet light for a set amount of time each day. It's possible to purchase a device online that safely emits this type of light. They cost in the range of $200. This is a less expensive alternative to try before going to an esthetician who has similar, more powerful equipment.

As we mentioned earlier the truth is that it's likely to take some time before you find what works for you. The trick is to not give up. Keep trying until you find your solution.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --The beauty of well behaved children!

2006-08-24T05:08:00.000-07:00

Is there a beauty to well behaved children?

Yup!

Every been around a consistently ranting, alternatingly whinning child? You or the parent has double and triple checked this little person making sure that all is well on the basic front yet the background music continues.. Now is the time for protecting ones own 'Beauty Love and Fitness' by introducing a touch of behavior management.

Using behavior management strategies is a productive means of getting your child to exhibit appropriate behaviors in a number of settings. Even though these strategies are commonly used for children who have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Autistic Disorder, many children who have no diagnosis benefit from these same strategies as well.

Behavior Management is Not Just for Children with Special Needs.

There are a few rules to keep in mind before implementing a behavior management plan for your child. It is very important that you make the consequence for the child’s actions immediate and meaningful. The longer you take to give the child feedback, the less impact the behavior management will have.

For example, if the child interrupts you while you are talking you would want to address the problem with a consequence right then and there even though it may not seem very convenient. You will not have very much of an effect on the child if you wait four hours to tell him that he shouldn’t interrupt you when you are talking. Chances are that the child doesn’t remember interrupting you in the first place.

When the child interrupts quickly redirect him with a sign or a quick “nope” that alerts him that he is doing something inappropriate. If the behavior continues you have to provide an immediate consequence. This can include leaving the area or activity. Even though you may not want to end the activity right then, behavior management is clear about keeping the consequences immediate.

The consequences also need to be meaningful as well. Some children engage in certain behaviors to avoid doing certain activities. Sending some children to their rooms is not always a meaningful consequence because the child may want to play with his things rather than continue the activity he is engaged in at the time.

Behavior management is not just about punishment and negative consequences. It also involves praise as well. You have to make an effort to tell the child when he is doing a good job. The first rule of behavior management is to reward immediately. A rewarded behavior is most likely to be repeated.

Some argue that punishment should not be used in a behavior management plan. Bad actions should be ignored while positive actions are praised. This focuses the child on the good rather than the bad. This is wonderful in theory but remember that there are certain negative behaviors that can’t be ignored. Having a good balance is the key to a successful behavior management plan. We feel this is beneficial for the entire family's inward beauty, love and fitness or in a word, health.

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and FitnessFriends

Beauty Love and Fitness -- Asthma and exercise one great marriage!

2006-08-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Some argue that asthma and exercise should coincide..

Exercise can help your body take in more oxygen. Working out can help your body breathe better. It improves circulation that sends oxygen through the blood and into the cells.

You don’t have to push yourself as much as Jerome Bettis has done over the years. However, a consistent workout can really help you perform better in everyday activities. A person can have asthma and exercise on a regular basis especially if the activity is reasonable and realistic.

If you are generally out of shape and have a breathing condition then you most definitely want to consult your doctor. It is usually recommended that everyone no matter what condition should speak to his doctor before starting a workout program. People who have asthma and exercise should let their doctors know about their activities.

The physicians may have some very valuable input. They can recommend a specific program that can help asthma and exercise to get along. Of course, you should also listen to your body. You may already know what triggers an asthmatic attack, making sure that your condition will not be triggered through a workout is very important.

The key to successfully incorporating a regular workout routine into your daily life, other than getting started, is to take things slowly. Don’t try to run a marathon in your first attempt. If you pay attention to your body’s cues and if you consult your doctor you may find that you can have asthma and exercise as well. What a great marriage!

We hope this helps You!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --BOOKS!

2006-08-22T00:18:00.000-07:00

While looking around the 'net we found a few decent self studies guides with good descriptions.

Usually I'd drop this kind of write-up but when I saw a description there of a book based on my all time favorite, A Course In Miracles, I had to post! Uhmm a plug for additional inner Beauty? Perhaps. Check it out..

When discussing spiritual books, self studies books, we are talking self-help books taken to the next level of human transcendence, evolution, or improvement.

We are speaking to, I think, not religious tomes for bible study but spiritual books as essential contribution to human adult development where mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual balance is the goal.

Different books provide different focus, of course, and each of the “best-selling” spiritual books adds to our repertoire of working toward becoming good, pure, whole beings. Okay. Enough with the groovy generalizations: let me just get to the specific spiritual books to which I make such vague reference:

Spiritual Books by Sylvia Browne

From her books on psychic experiences and evolution (such as ADVENTURES of a PSYCHIC) to her works regarding reincarnation or the afterlife (as in LIFE on the OTHER SIDE: A PSYCHIC’S TOUR of the AFTERLIFE) to her latest discussions of God and spirituality (such as LESSONS for LIFE or EVERYTHING YOU NEED to KNOW about the PARANORMAL), Sylvia Browne is the spiritual guru of the postmodern generation. And she writes in a candid and no-nonsense, yet personable tone that is engaging and informative without being so lofty readers are alienated or put off otherwise.

Spiritual Books by Rosemary Altea

There is something regenerative, something spiritually engaging to the point of being mystical about Altea’s spiritual books. In THE EAGLE and the ROSE: A REMARKABLE TRUE STORY and PROUD SPIRIT: LESSONS, INSIGHTS, and HEALING from “the VOICE of the SPIRIT WORLD, for example, she uses narrative to bind her “lectures” and lessons…those which even the most skeptical will understand and appreciate at some level.

Spiritual Books by Marianne Williamson

Based on the Course in Miracles, many of Williamson’s books offer a supportive yet grab-you by-the-collar realism that is stunning in its profound simplicity. For instance in her two spiritual books, A RETURN to LOVE and A RETURN to LOVE: REFLECTIONS on the PRINCIPLES of “A Course in Miracles,” the words remind readers of self-empowerment that is a given, not as something one hopes to get from people who will not give it. That is, she says, if you act as if you expect to be treated in [X] manner, you will be.

Spiritual Books by James Redfield

By way of narrative, which furthers the lessons of the human condition, Redfield presents a chronology of “prophecies,” each of which he delivers by designing the prophecy around the personalities in the books. For example, in THE CELESTINE PROPHECY, Redfield determines people who are “energy suckers”, what we might know as takers but who are people taking not necessarily money or material valuables: they take our energy; they drain us; they suck good energy, out of the air around us, even. By the time you get through a prophecy in his spiritual books, you will feel the energies and spiritual phenomena of which he writes so skillfully and insightfully.

There are dozens of so-called spiritual books. Deciding which to read, or which to read first is challenging, but if you start with the three authors above, then move to the works of, say, Iyanla Van Zant (pragmatic and healing at once), Shakti Gawain (stunning connections), and even Gary Sukav (heady, brilliant), you will be part of the heightening awareness that we are more than just work, eat, and sleep creatures.

We hope this helps You!

Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --What are careers paying you these days?

2006-08-21T11:46:00.001-07:00

What are they paying you these days?

Oh come on, this is a legitimate question. In fact, you should be asking it to yourself.

Chances are you could be getting stiffed, and for a number of reasons.

Well, it's time to slap "the man" in the face and let him know what's up. If you took the time and effort to earn your college degree and possibly your master's, then you deserve the right amount of dough. Not sure what that is? No problem; there are simple salary guides to help you find out. You see, every field of work offers a different pay scale. It's imperative to know what your current job is supposed to offer. That's where the World-Wide-Web comes in handy. Have you checked out the modern salary guides online now days? It's time to get informed.

You know what I love about the information age? It's the information. It allows; no wait, it ensures that average Joes like you and me don't get duped by corporate moguls, or should I say mongrels. When you finally graduate from college with that degree in-hand, you're relieved and ready for the real world that lies ahead. Okay, that actually lasts about two minutes, then you're petrified and unsure if you'll ever be able to make it on your own.

So, you've gotten past the academic part, and now it's on to the money-making stage.

Of course you'll have to work hard and vie with the numerous other college grads to get that cash, but in the end it's well worth the effort. The first thing you might want to do once you've figured out the field you're headed into, is check out the salary guides posted on the Internet. This is a great way to become privy to today's corporate world and expected incomes.

With different jobs comes different paychecks. So then you find out the pay you should make for the field you're pursuing in your particular area. Now, when you head off to those countless interviews, you'll know what should be offered salary wise. Actually now days you can even resort to Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com for salary guides.

Many of the job listings already post the salary. This makes it easy to find out if you're getting shafted. For some reason companies are notorious, or should I say infamous for paying women less. In this day and age I certainly wouldn't stand for it. Did you not acquire the same degree? Did you not work just as hard to get there?

With the abundance of valuable data at our fingertips, there is no reason why you shouldn't take advantage of salary guides, along with various other resources when job hunting.

Ensuring that You get what You deserve is a big part of love and Self respect..

We hope this helps you!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends

Beauty Love and Fitness --Aerobics!

2006-08-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to

Beauty Love and Fitness --Aerobics!

If you feel you’re a couch potato, and emotionally uninspired, consider using aerobic activity for your exercise choice. Besides this type of exercise is enjoyable and you can bring along a friend or two to keep you moving. You’ll be surprised to have this much fun and exercise at the same time.

It is a type of activity that uses your large muscles to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. A word of warning needs to be stated though before you begin any aerobic activity. Make sure if you have any serious medical issues that you check with a doctor first. It’s better to be safe than to damage your health. If you’ve got the green light for aerobic activity then check out the different types of exercise that’s will get your heart going. Keeping it elevated is the main goal when exercising.

You’ll find it in a lot of forms of exercise that you might have done at one time, but just stopped doing. Bicycling, walking, dance, swimming or even ice skating are popular forms of aerobic activity that many use to get their muscles pumping, and their heart rate up. Don’t forget to use a warm up and lightly stretch. Before you stop use your cool down period to stretch your muscles. Of course any of these can be done by yourself, but the best part is that you can take along a pal when doing your aerobic activity. It’s a good way to make friends too.

By participating in this form of exercise to sustain an elevated heart rate, and flexing your large muscles, you’ll not only feel better, but look great too. The health benefits of aerobic activity are numerous. Blood pressure is lowered, and the arteries and vessels all over your body are invigorated with oxygenated blood. Bad cholesterol is lowered, and your body is trimmed and toned through weight loss with aerobic activity. If diabetes runs in your family, then you’ll get an extra benefit with aerobic activity because it lowers your risk of getting it.

It’s most beneficial if it’s done at least 3 times per week, using several different exercises. The use of different exercises ensures that all muscles are worked, and that you don’t get bored. When doing the exercise make sure to set up sets of all your different forms, and repeat them at least 7 times. Monitor your heart rate with an aerobic activity guideline based on your age and goals. You can get one from your doctor, or anywhere on the Internet. Oh don't forget the almighty aerobic video possibilities.

It was not difficult to find the aerobic videos section at the media store. The health and fitness section was huge. It seems that every athlete, movie star and television personality has come out with their own aerobic videos. We started going through them. We were planning on exercising in the bedroom area. We have a VHS player in that room so we could disregard the DVD’s. We also could set aside the aerobic videos that were high impact. We still had many to choose from. We both know that it is important for us to stretch our muscles well to maintain flexibility and to warm the joints before using them, so we wanted a tape that included stretching.

We wanted to exercise when we got home from work and before we ate dinner, so we looked at aerobic videos that were 45 minutes or less in length. We also wanted a workout that would be fun to do so that we would keep motivated to do it. After several minutes of searching the sales person came and asked if we needed help. We explained what we were looking for. The cost of the aerobic videos was not tremendously high, but we did not want to purchase more than one to see if we liked them. The sales clerk suggested that we check with the library. People will donate tapes that they are no longer using and the library will let you check them out, as you would a book.

In a couple of months you’ll see and feel the difference that working out makes in your life. Take the time to build up in your exercise program, but just keep aerobic activity a part of your life.
You’ll live longer and happier if you do.

We hope this helps you!
Your Beauty Love and Fitness Friends