Do it for you, and for your life. Looking good for bikini season or showing off the results of those crunches is terrific, but seeing your grandchildren grow up is also pretty fantastic. That’s why, when it’s time to put your Lifetime resolution into practice, you’ve got to make the right choice and diet to live. Read on, and you’ll feel good about doing right by your body!

A balanced diet is a time-tested healthy choice. The best way to treat your body is not by withholding needed nutrients, but by being smart about what you eat. Trimming down can involve a few adjustments, but radical changes, drugs (this includes many “supplements”) and extremes are giving your body a beating, and it will remember, especially if this is an annual ritual. You’ll find that eating well is its own reward, and will actually help fight cravings naturally!

Extreme results can vary from increasing your risk of osteoporosis (and brittle bones even in your 20’s!) and losing your muscle mass, to heart problems and even death. Rather than risk denial in saying “well, that’s not me…” check your habits and find out whether it really is you or not. It’s your choice, of course, but it should be a fully informed one.

First, check the food pyramid. Are you keeping up with it? If you’re not, you may not be getting the nutrients you need. If your particular diet requires an extreme adjustment, like near zero fat intake, very low carbs, or a lot of protein, realize that is going to confuse your body, no matter how short term. Your body always tries to make do with whatever you give it, or handle excesses if you overindulge. Sometimes it will start robbing from muscles or vital organs to meet your needs. As the old commercial once said, “it’s not nice to fool mother nature,” so diets that trick your body may come back to haunt you.

Next, are you taking any appropriate non-diet vitamins and supplements? This is not the diet aids, but just plain old multivitamins and other nutrients your body needs. You may find that, if you’re not getting the right nutrition from food and supplements, your body is giving you cravings which add weight as it tries to direct you to the foods you need. If you can’t find the right fresh foods when they are out of season, multivitamins might be a reasonable answer to keep your body in balance.

Are you messing with your metabolism? It’s a lot more than “fat burning rate,” it’s your internal temperature, energy level, stress on your heart and on the organs that make up your endocrine system including adrenal glands, thyroid, pancreas and more. This is one area where a checkup might help. Your doctor can order tests to ensure that your system is in good regulation - it could be a simple thyroid or blood sugar problem is affecting your weight and overall health. If you’re a diabetic or possibly could become one due to heredity, weight or “Syndrome X,” this is a particularly risky area to mess with by yourself – your body may already be struggling without your interference. In any case, supplements that affect this area could give you unnecessary stress on your body, and since they are usually not prescribed exactly for you, some users find that the regular dose can be an overdose of potent stimulants, and a night of anxiety or a trip to the ER is all you get out of them. If you love yourself, love your body and be kind to it.

Finally, there’s exercise. Yes, it’s time for the gym for everyone stuck indoors in winter, and a good workout feels great. It really feels like you’re doing something, even the first day. This is another metabolism thing, though. A slow start, and looking for long-term results is the way to go. It’s true, very new exercise gadget or technique promises to throw away that outdated concept and give you instant results, but perhaps they are only promising the results that they can deliver, and not what you really need to be healthy. Why just burn calories when building muscle mass (which adds healthy weight!) adds calorie burning muscle to your body? Check with a trainer for more information.

ALL Year, resolve to be good to yourself for the long run. Take good care of your body and your health, and you will be rewarded for years to come, not just for the coming summer beach season. You’ll be surprised how you good you feel when you eat right and take care of yourself, and you might even cut yourself some slack in the bikini department because of it!

FIJI ISLANDS

With over 300 islands to choose from, this destination has an increasing presence in the choice of newlyweds. There are many activities in the islands, including snorkeling, scuba diving, windsurfing and hiking. This is not such a crowded location as some of the other popular destination, but provides enough privacy for quiet times between the couple without having to go to the wilderness to obtain it.

PARIS

Paris has been known as the city for lovers. The romantic atmosphere which the name itself connotes is matched by the many activities available. World famous museums of art and history, the famous landmarks of the city, and the enjoyment of walking the streets or sitting in a sidewalk cafe watching people are all part of a Paris honeymoon.

THE HAMPTONS

This area of New York’s Long Island is famous as a home for the rich and famous, but it also contains world class hotels facing the open Atlantic Ocean. Miles of unspoiled beaches are available for private beachcombing walks. Great cuisine is available in restaurants with impeccable service and shopping opportunities are almost unlimited. For a change of pace, New York City is within easy travel distance. Theater, food, lodging, shopping or entertainment at one of the parks in the New York system is enough activity to provide a memorable and exciting honeymoon.

THE CARIBBEAN

Because of its long standing popularity as a honeymoon site for sun, sand, and warm tropical breeze, the Caribbean Islands may be somewhat more crowded than some of the other honeymoon sites. However, there are locations in the islands that specifically cater to honeymoon couples. The hotel resorts provide privacy for quiet times together, yet plenty of activities to enjoy for the first time together. A number of great golf courses are located here, as well as opportunities for swimming, sun bathing, snorkeling, scuba, bicycling, walking and beach combing, just to name a few. The cuisine is excellent with a mixture of types and cultural highlights available.

WALT DISNEY WORLD

Choose one of the vacation resort hotels in the complex which makes up Walt Disney World. Your accommodations will be excellent. There are many fine restaurants located in or near the hotels, including international cuisine from every part of the world. You can spend your days in one of the five amusement parks or two water parks at Walt Disney World and your nights getting to know each other better. Packages deals for on-grounds accommodations at WDW are surprisingly reasonable and provides a wealth of memories for your honeymoon time together.

Shoulder Bag
The shoulder bag is the bag most often thought of when referring to a handbag. Shoulder bags come in all different shapes and sizes with an array of different straps from chains to something like a guitar strap. Shoulder bags tend to be larger in size which allows a lot of room for the essentials like lipstick, a wallet, keys, cell phones and more. These bags should be used when maximum practicality is needed while still remaining stylish. These bags may be suited for long trips, beach trips or vacations where you must carry a lot of things with you (a camera, travel guide, sunglasses).

Handheld Bag
These bags are designed with one thing in mind; they must be held in a hand. Handheld bags will have little straps to clutch and carry this bag around. Usually, these are smaller in size and very fashionable. These bags are usually expensive due to their highly fashionable look and are perfect when you need to run errands or go grocery shopping. Although smaller in size, handheld bags are still suitable for carrying many of the essentials, such as a wallet, keys, shopping list and coupons. If the outfit is right, these bags can even be used in very formal situations.

Back Pack
Back packs are worn just they way they sound: on the back. These are usually worn by students and have two straps that are put around the arms and on the shoulders to allow the back to support the weight. These are usually larger in size to allowing the carrying of books, notebooks and laptop computers. Recently, there have been some backpacks made that look very similar to handbags that have one strap and are made out of a quilt like fabric. These types of backpacks are suitable for vacations or beaches.

Tote Bags
These are very large bags designed to carry anything from beach provisions to schoolbooks. Tote bags are used when maximum capacity is needed. Many girls will use a tote bag at school or college to carry books and notebooks between classes. Tote bags will fall in the middle of the upper body, about elbow’s length, while shoulder bags will usually fall around the hip.

Clutch Bags
Clutch bags are very small. They are made for formal occasions where you do not need to bring all your things. Usually very elegant, these hand bags are meant to be “clutched” in a hand, as they do not have straps unlike their cousins, the handheld bags. Many women use these bags for going to the club or going to a formal dance.

Copyright Women

 

Exercises to fit into your Skinny Jeans Skinny jeans are the latest must-have fashion at the moment but many women worry that they will not fit into theirs as they are not as lean as they could be. By following an exercise regime you can fit into your skinny jeans and be able to strut your stuff like you were on the catwalk!  The best exercise to perform to give you thinner legs and lose your saddlebags is the Penguin Shuffle and this is how to do it: 

• Hold the ends of a resistance band in each hand and stand on the centre of the band with your feet hip-width apart. There should only be a few inches of band between your feet.
• Then curl your hands up towards your shoulders.
• Keeping your arms curled, take one step in the to the right with your right foot until the band is taut.
• Then take one step in the same direction with your left foot.
• Continue side stepping 6 to 8 times to right and then reverse the direction and do the same.

By following this exercise you will see results within a week and be able to fit into your skinny jeans in not time! 

One exercise that gets rid of the dreaded “muffin top” over hang is the Plank and here’s how to do it! 

• Lie face down and the floor and raise yourself up, balancing on your forearms and toes, clasping your hands together, align your spine and pull your abs in so that your lower back does not sag.
• Hold this position for 10 to 60 seconds (you will get better with practise and be able to hold it for longer each time) focusing on keeping your torso straight.
• Perform 1 to 2 sets each day for maximum results.
• Admire your fantastic flat abs!

Another way of making sure you fit in to your skinny jeans is to stand up properly, this may seem a little like common sense but you would be surprised as to how many people don’t stand up correctly. Here’s how to do just that: 

• Stand with your back against a wall, keeping your feet at a comfortable distance from the wall, heels together and toes apart.
• Pull in your abs and gently press your entire back, as well as your neck and shoulders into the wall. Letting your arms hang down at the sides.
• Drop your chin to your chest and then peel your neck off the wall, followed by your shoulders, upper back, middle back and the lower back.
• Keep your tailbone and butt against the wall and hang forward for a moment and the slowly reverse the movement, pressing your entire spine back onto the wall.

By following this exercise you will improve you posture and by standing up straight you can instantly shed 10lbs – so will look and feel amazing. Use these exercises every day and in no time at all you will be looking amazing in your skinny jeans. 

A microkeratome, or knife cuts a corneal flap. This flap leaves a hinge at one end. The flap is folded over to reveal the mid section of the cornea, known as the stroma. A computer controlled laser tool vaporizes a thin section of the stroma to reshape the cornea. The flap is then put back into place. No sutures are required for the procedure.

Before determining whether LASIK surgery is right for you, you should know what to expect from the surgery. Your vision specialist will be able to tell you if you are a good candidate for surgery. As with any surgery there are some risks. Even if you are a good candidate for improvement in vision, only you can determine if the reasons for the surgery outweigh the risks.

People usually decide to have LASIK surgery for the sake of appearance, or because of safety issues in an occupation or sports activity. Sometimes people choose to use another method of vision correction after hearing the alternatives and the risks.

There is often fear and trepidation because of the location of the procedure, but LASIK surgery has a high success rate.

You will want to make sure you understand the entire process and choose a qualified surgeon to do the procedure. You will not be under general anesthetic and there will be some discomfort during parts of the procedure, but no pain, since a numbing agent is used in the area. The entire process usually takes thirty minutes or less and is performed in a reclining chair, similar to a dentist’s chair.

There will be tools and instruments used on your eye which you should have had explained to you prior to their usage so that the level of anxiety is reduced. In fact, the entire procedure should be explained in detail before you make the decision to undergo the surgery.

Although the surgery itself takes only a few minutes, healing time may take several days. Post surgery visits with the doctor will probably be scheduled regularly during the first six months.

Some blurring of vision, watering of one or both eyes and occasionally mild pain during the first few post surgical days. An eye shield is normally worn during the first 24 to 48 hours to prevent the flap from being accidentally dislodged. Itching and burning are also common symptoms, prompting a desire to rub the eye. Of course, this should not be done, because of the danger of damaging the healing corneal flap.
The benefits of successful LASIK surgery include no more eyeglasses or contact lens and better vision throughout the range of vision. No more eyeglasses rims to block the field of vision.

Copyright March 2003 Womenlink

The perfect lip makeup colors to make thin lips fuller, are neutral tones. These tones include tans and natural pinks. Lining the lip just outside of the natural lip line with a lip liner identical to your natural lip color, will help blend the look, making the line appear natural and not artificial.

After lining the lips, apply a chap stick style lip balm to the lips, color the lips with a warm color that matches your skin tones and finish with a shiny lip gloss. Make sure to concentrate the gloss on the center of the lip. This will make the lip appear much fuller and more plump.

Naturally, you can use peppermint oil to bring the blood in the lip to the surface. This will give the lip a fuller appearance for a few hours. Feel free to reapply the peppermint oil as needed.

There are certain colors and techniques that should be avoided for women with thin lips. Dark colors should never be applied to the lip in either lip color or lip liner form. Also, never line thin lips with a darker lip liner outside of the natural line. This technique should only be used with lip liners that match the natural color of the lip.

Having thin lips does not have to mean you will never be able to achieve that super model pout. With just the right colors and the proper technique, turning those thin lips into fuller lips is easy and fun.

Copyright 2008 Womenlink.org

 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2008 - MAC Viva Glam Spokesperson Fergie and John Demsey Present Check Donation to Fashion Designers of America
Janet Mayer / PR Photos
Bryan Park , New York

Chris Hatcher / PR Photos
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