We all have seen our grandparents and parents grow old and most of us protest against the idea of aging in the same ways they did. In fact, we look for safer, more convenient and medically sound way to live longer, empower ourselves, and remain healthy throughout life. We may refer to it as 'quality longevity.' The everyday choices that we make have a greater impact on us than genetics, which account for only one-third of what determines our health as we age.
Hence, the quality of life is very much in our hands. Empowering ourselves for the future requires learning new skills as well as honing the ones we already have. Try some of these strategies to live longer, feel and look younger.
Sharpen your mind:
A sharp mind helps in staying fit. We're more inclined to have good relationships, eat well and live a healthy lifestyle with a sharper mind. Doing mental aerobics can improve memory and lower your risk for Alzheimer's disease. A recent study found that when we keep our minds active, brain efficiency increases dramatically, even after just a few weeks. Try different approaches to expanding your mental horizons, whether it's travelling to new destinations, learning a musical instrument, or going back to school. Stay mentally active through puzzles, games, reading and other stimulating hobbies, but be sure to train and not strain your brain.
Cultivate healthy relationships:
Socially connected people have longer life expectancies than isolated individuals. Cultivate intimacy with your partner since good sex makes for a longer life. Not only does it bring people closer together, it lowers blood pressure, reduces pain, promotes restful sleep and boosts the immune system so we are better able to fight off infections. Our ability to understand another person's emotional viewpoint and to express that understanding is the social glue that keeps us together.
Reduce stress:
We can't completely eliminate stress from our lives, but we can learn healthier responses to it. We all can try to minimise stress to live longer and better. You can do it in many ways. Like control clutter in your home. Get more realistic about how much you take on each day. Try eliminating just a few items from your to-do list. Regular meditation reduces stress and also boosts the immune system. Empower yourself with the word 'no.'
Think positive:
Optimists have a greater life expectancy than pessimists. Make an effort to see the cup half-full. Recent studies show that we can learn optimism when we set our minds to it. Discover your spiritual life. Attending a house of worship once a week is associated with a seven-year-longer survival compared with never attending. Take care of your needs. Satisfied people are twice as likely to survive compared with dissatisfied individuals.
Manage your environment:
Our environment has a big influence on how we feel and how long we live. Whether it's traffic, noise, or other aspects of the environment at large, or more personal environmental issues such as aesthetics or bedroom temperature, our 'quality longevity' requires that we not only adapt to these influences but learn to shape them to meet our individual tastes and needs. Bear in mind function and aesthetics when designing your home and workspace. Manage your technology to avoid information overload.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Best Exercises For Pear Shaped Women
Being a pear shaped woman myself, I know the struggles involved in trying to achieve a lean and sleek pair of legs. There are a few things I have learned about how to exercise effectively for maximum fat loss in the lower region and balancing out our physiques.
For starters, there are a few things we must accept so that we won't beat ourselves up with frustration.
1. Accept the fact that you have a pear shape - we carry most of our body fat in the lower half of our bodies (hips, thighs and butt).
2. Consider the fat on your lower region as fat magnets. In other words, it is very easy to attract fat to the thighs, hips and buttocks and very difficult to move (not impossible though!)
3. Accept the fact that you will have to work extra hard to lean out the lower half of your body.
If you can accept the above, then you'll be armed with a more realistic mindset when working out and trying to lose fat. You'll be able to be patient with yourself and won't give up.
Now the good news!
1. It IS possible to lean out the hips, thighs and buttock areas.
2. It IS possible to achieve a great pair of legs.
3. You can balance out your upper body so that you are well proportioned and symmetrical.
So how do we go about leaning out our lower bodies and balancing out our upper bodies?
First, you will have to eat very clean and watch your fat intake.
Stick with fruits, veggies, tuna, tilapia, chicken, lean meats and egg whites.
Eat more of the green types of veggies and lots of salads.
Eat starchy veggies (potatoes, rice, pastas etc...) in moderation.
Drink lots of water.
When eating fruits, try to eat them in the morning, before your workouts.
Try not to eat fruits after 2pm.
Best fruits: all kinds of berries, grapefruit, apples.
Best veggies: brocolli, green beans, asparagus, green, onions, garlic, red, yellow, orange peppers, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce.
Rules:
Never fry your food.
Grill, boil, steam, bake or pan fry with Pam Spray, never in a pan of oil.
If you're going to have a cheat day, make sure do it early enough so you can burn it off.
Never have a cheat day at night.
Try (if you can!) to only cheat twice a month.
What is a cheat day: ONE cheat meal only! Not a whole day of cheating!
Did I say drink lots and lots of water too?
Ok, so now if you eat this way, you will start noticing yourself getting leaner. You'll be shedding some fat off of your overall body. Yes, your lower body too! Your pants and skirts won't fit anymore. So you'll have to buy a new wardrobe!
But this is not the whole story. In order to create those great lean legs, you will have to exercise differently than your friends and those women in the magazines.
We want to lean out our lower halves and build up our upper halves.
We have special needs, so we must exercise specifically, to meet this need.
>From my experience, pear shaped women need to focus on light to moderate weights with very high volume repetitions in the lower half of their bodies, incorporating lots of cardio workouts too.
The upper half of our bodies need a different plan all together.
To get that symetrical and balanced look, we need to lift heavy weights so that we are widening our shoulders and backs and creating those sexy arms. Don't fear lifting heavy. We will never get big. And if it's any comfort to you (or maybe not!), our bodies are the most difficult of all body types to gain muscle.
I know, I know, but we can still get that lean, defined, sexy and well proportioned body we're seeking.
So this is the plan I use and seems to be working very well. Yes, I am seeing RESULTS. It will take time, but if you are completely determined, patient and focused on your goal, you will achieve that sexy, well proportioned and symetrical body that screams out, "WOW"!
Here's the work out plan that I am currently using:
Lower body 3 times per week.
Upper body twice per week.
Cardio 6 times per week.
Lower body workout:
Incorporate a variety of leg excersizes such as lunges, squats, butt blaster, leg presses, leg extensions, hip excersizes, leg extensions and hamstring curls.
You can choose 3 - 4 excersizes three times per week.
Example:
Day 1: squats, lunges, leg presses, calves cardio
Five sets each of 35 + repetitions with moderate weight
Rest 30 - 45 seconds between sets
Day 2: leg extensions, hamstring curls, butt blaster
Five sets each of 35 + repetitions with moderate weight
Rest 30 - 45 seconds between sets
Day 3: walking lunges, side walking lunges, steady lunges
Five sets each of 35 + repetitions with moderate weight
Rest 30 - 45 seconds between sets
Don't worry about the sets and reps in the beginning. Do as many as you can. If you can do more than 35, do more.
Cardio: jogging, treadmill, elliptical machine, jumping rope, swimming, cycling, aerobic classes etc... Just make sure you are working out intense enough to really burn the fat.
Upper Body Workout:
I exercize my upper body twice per week:
Full upper body workout: chest, back, shoulders, tri's and bi's, calves
Abs 4 times per week.
I choose 2 - 3 exercizes per body part.
3 sets each for 8 - 10 reps.
Weight is heavy.
Rest about 60 seconds in between sets.
That's it. I do cardio 6 times per week. Upper body twice per week. Lower body three times per week. Abs 4 times per week, calves 3 - 4 times per week.
I find that this intense workout PLUS eating a CLEAN diet, very effective in leaning out the lower half of our bodies plus balancing out our upper halves.
Make sure you get lots of rest too!
Just one pear shape sister to another......
For starters, there are a few things we must accept so that we won't beat ourselves up with frustration.
1. Accept the fact that you have a pear shape - we carry most of our body fat in the lower half of our bodies (hips, thighs and butt).
2. Consider the fat on your lower region as fat magnets. In other words, it is very easy to attract fat to the thighs, hips and buttocks and very difficult to move (not impossible though!)
3. Accept the fact that you will have to work extra hard to lean out the lower half of your body.
If you can accept the above, then you'll be armed with a more realistic mindset when working out and trying to lose fat. You'll be able to be patient with yourself and won't give up.
Now the good news!
1. It IS possible to lean out the hips, thighs and buttock areas.
2. It IS possible to achieve a great pair of legs.
3. You can balance out your upper body so that you are well proportioned and symmetrical.
So how do we go about leaning out our lower bodies and balancing out our upper bodies?
First, you will have to eat very clean and watch your fat intake.
Stick with fruits, veggies, tuna, tilapia, chicken, lean meats and egg whites.
Eat more of the green types of veggies and lots of salads.
Eat starchy veggies (potatoes, rice, pastas etc...) in moderation.
Drink lots of water.
When eating fruits, try to eat them in the morning, before your workouts.
Try not to eat fruits after 2pm.
Best fruits: all kinds of berries, grapefruit, apples.
Best veggies: brocolli, green beans, asparagus, green, onions, garlic, red, yellow, orange peppers, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce.
Rules:
Never fry your food.
Grill, boil, steam, bake or pan fry with Pam Spray, never in a pan of oil.
If you're going to have a cheat day, make sure do it early enough so you can burn it off.
Never have a cheat day at night.
Try (if you can!) to only cheat twice a month.
What is a cheat day: ONE cheat meal only! Not a whole day of cheating!
Did I say drink lots and lots of water too?
Ok, so now if you eat this way, you will start noticing yourself getting leaner. You'll be shedding some fat off of your overall body. Yes, your lower body too! Your pants and skirts won't fit anymore. So you'll have to buy a new wardrobe!
But this is not the whole story. In order to create those great lean legs, you will have to exercise differently than your friends and those women in the magazines.
We want to lean out our lower halves and build up our upper halves.
We have special needs, so we must exercise specifically, to meet this need.
>From my experience, pear shaped women need to focus on light to moderate weights with very high volume repetitions in the lower half of their bodies, incorporating lots of cardio workouts too.
The upper half of our bodies need a different plan all together.
To get that symetrical and balanced look, we need to lift heavy weights so that we are widening our shoulders and backs and creating those sexy arms. Don't fear lifting heavy. We will never get big. And if it's any comfort to you (or maybe not!), our bodies are the most difficult of all body types to gain muscle.
I know, I know, but we can still get that lean, defined, sexy and well proportioned body we're seeking.
So this is the plan I use and seems to be working very well. Yes, I am seeing RESULTS. It will take time, but if you are completely determined, patient and focused on your goal, you will achieve that sexy, well proportioned and symetrical body that screams out, "WOW"!
Here's the work out plan that I am currently using:
Lower body 3 times per week.
Upper body twice per week.
Cardio 6 times per week.
Lower body workout:
Incorporate a variety of leg excersizes such as lunges, squats, butt blaster, leg presses, leg extensions, hip excersizes, leg extensions and hamstring curls.
You can choose 3 - 4 excersizes three times per week.
Example:
Day 1: squats, lunges, leg presses, calves cardio
Five sets each of 35 + repetitions with moderate weight
Rest 30 - 45 seconds between sets
Day 2: leg extensions, hamstring curls, butt blaster
Five sets each of 35 + repetitions with moderate weight
Rest 30 - 45 seconds between sets
Day 3: walking lunges, side walking lunges, steady lunges
Five sets each of 35 + repetitions with moderate weight
Rest 30 - 45 seconds between sets
Don't worry about the sets and reps in the beginning. Do as many as you can. If you can do more than 35, do more.
Cardio: jogging, treadmill, elliptical machine, jumping rope, swimming, cycling, aerobic classes etc... Just make sure you are working out intense enough to really burn the fat.
Upper Body Workout:
I exercize my upper body twice per week:
Full upper body workout: chest, back, shoulders, tri's and bi's, calves
Abs 4 times per week.
I choose 2 - 3 exercizes per body part.
3 sets each for 8 - 10 reps.
Weight is heavy.
Rest about 60 seconds in between sets.
That's it. I do cardio 6 times per week. Upper body twice per week. Lower body three times per week. Abs 4 times per week, calves 3 - 4 times per week.
I find that this intense workout PLUS eating a CLEAN diet, very effective in leaning out the lower half of our bodies plus balancing out our upper halves.
Make sure you get lots of rest too!
Just one pear shape sister to another......
God Bless You!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Dry skin for women over 40
As women approach 40 their skincare regimen needs to be assessed. Even though aging occurs gradually and sometimes it is hard to notice the slight changes, especially when we fall in love with a product that we use for years, swear by it and refuse to realize that times have changes, and so have we.
It is very important to be on top of what is available on the market and moisturize should be our number one priority. While we all dream about a quick fix, or better yet a miracle in a bottle we have to give up our unrealistic obsession with flawless skin. Life takes over, wrinkles happen; aging is a natural and beautiful process that is inevitable to everyone.
Instead of concentrating on how many wrinkles you have embrace yourself for all that you achieved, for everything you have learned and for all that is still ahead. Now after you are done embracing, lets move on to enhancing. To downplay some of the natural effects of aging follow those simple steps, and enjoy your beautiful features, and remember the best is yet to come!
1. You Can No Longer Afford to Have Direct Sun Light. It’s bad for you…get over it…
2. If you are still smoking, your skin will have irreparable damage,
It will be dull and gray. Just imagine yourself with grey hair and grey skin. If you haven’t put down that cigarette of yours yet, don’t come crying to me.
3. You are what you eat.
Vegetable and Fruits are good, Meet and Dairy is bad. Learn to live with it I did.
4. Most of all diseases are caused by stress only syphilis is from pleasure.
5. Your face is your treasure, wash it twice a day and moisturize it. NEVER go to sleep with make up on.
I don’t care what time you are climbing into your bed.
6. Your décolletage is in immediate need of attention, so is your neck, your hands,elbows and heels. Remember MOISTURIZE.
7. If you have the urge to touch your face, think twice. If you still have the desire, go wash your hands.
8. Your make up has not meant to last forever, you are over 40 how old is that Channel eyes-shadow of yours?
9. Exercise your abs, work out your legs, and don’t forget your jaw muscles.
10. WATER, 10 glasses a day will keep plastic surgeon away. Water with lemons, water with cucumber, plain water and herbal tea is your goal. Stay away from carbonated and sugar drinks.
Take care of your skin and your soul will take care of itself.
It is very important to be on top of what is available on the market and moisturize should be our number one priority. While we all dream about a quick fix, or better yet a miracle in a bottle we have to give up our unrealistic obsession with flawless skin. Life takes over, wrinkles happen; aging is a natural and beautiful process that is inevitable to everyone.
Instead of concentrating on how many wrinkles you have embrace yourself for all that you achieved, for everything you have learned and for all that is still ahead. Now after you are done embracing, lets move on to enhancing. To downplay some of the natural effects of aging follow those simple steps, and enjoy your beautiful features, and remember the best is yet to come!
1. You Can No Longer Afford to Have Direct Sun Light. It’s bad for you…get over it…
2. If you are still smoking, your skin will have irreparable damage,
It will be dull and gray. Just imagine yourself with grey hair and grey skin. If you haven’t put down that cigarette of yours yet, don’t come crying to me.
3. You are what you eat.
Vegetable and Fruits are good, Meet and Dairy is bad. Learn to live with it I did.
4. Most of all diseases are caused by stress only syphilis is from pleasure.
5. Your face is your treasure, wash it twice a day and moisturize it. NEVER go to sleep with make up on.
I don’t care what time you are climbing into your bed.
6. Your décolletage is in immediate need of attention, so is your neck, your hands,elbows and heels. Remember MOISTURIZE.
7. If you have the urge to touch your face, think twice. If you still have the desire, go wash your hands.
8. Your make up has not meant to last forever, you are over 40 how old is that Channel eyes-shadow of yours?
9. Exercise your abs, work out your legs, and don’t forget your jaw muscles.
10. WATER, 10 glasses a day will keep plastic surgeon away. Water with lemons, water with cucumber, plain water and herbal tea is your goal. Stay away from carbonated and sugar drinks.
Take care of your skin and your soul will take care of itself.
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