What you should eat & what you should avoid ……

Take Selenium as an antioxidant and protect against muscle breakdown. Take Zinc for male hormone and healthy functioning of your entire body. Vitamin C is great for rebuilding and repairing. Carbs are great for energy and muscles. Carbs are bad as they make you fat. Take good fats. Don’t take bad fats.

Confusing, isn’t it?

So what is the answer? What should you take? What shouldn’t you take? How much of each? What if you are missing out on a nutrient? What if you are not? How do you get that perfect, healthy body?

The real truth is that there are no correct answers to all your questions. As you live your life and as we (the human race) live longer, we realize that we don’t know the answers and that every little thing on this planet does some good or bad. If we knew the answers there would be no diseases and everyone would look perfect.

To truly have the best shot at a healthy, vibrant body, you need to follow a simple rule and have 2 words as your guides: Healthy and Balanced. Healthy Healthy means staying away from known bad foods and eating/drinking more of the good foods. This means staying away or reducing the intake of: • Sugar • Salt • Saturated fats • Junk food: greasy burgers, chips, fast food • Artificial foods: chocolate, crisps, muffins, colas, cookies • Alcohol • Drugs

It also means taking in more: • Water • Fruits • Vegetables Balanced This is the missing key and where you can truly make a difference to your health, well-being and body. Balanced means taking in a whole host of foods that grow here on earth and can do good for you. We may not yet know about the benefits of them or find out in your lifetime but they are here for a reason.

If you have a known allergy or intolerance, then you need to stay away from the offending foods. Otherwise you need to open up your mind and try a bit of everything. We are only just finding out about so many foods and their benefits and instead of trying to read every bit of new research, do yourself a favour and include a little bit of everything in your diet when you can.

Just look at some of the recent “good” foods in the news: • Pomegranate • Acai • Beetroot • Tofu • Nuts and seeds • Berries

Do you eat them regularly? Or at all? They have been around for generations.

Try a healthy and balanced diet every day to the best of your abilities and open your mind to new ingredients and foods that you would ordinarily not eat. This means not seeing a salad as just greens but add things like nuts, seeds, berries and fruits. Not seeing a meal as just meat and carbs but adding a whole variety of vegetables and even fruits to your meal. Don’t just try one thing, really go for it! If you are going to try nuts & seeds, try Pistachios, Brazil nuts, sesame, sunflower seeds and so on.

There are no conclusive answers. What is conclusive is that following a healthy and balanced diet is your best shot at a long and vibrant life in your “very best” body. Start today.

Identify your eating triggers ….

In an ideal world we’d all only eat when we’re hungry. However, in reality we eat for a whole host of different reasons — because we’re bored, tired, stressed, lonely or maybe just out of habit. To determine your eating triggers take a look at some common eating styles below then try out the survival tips and tricks that will help you shed weight easier than ever before.

The Emotional Eater
You often eat in response to emotions such as feeling happy, sad, anxious, angry and bored. Stress or uncomfortable feelings can lead to comfort eating, especially when you are alone. You regularly find yourself in a negative spiral of feeling bad, so you eat more which causes you to gain more weight which in turn makes you feel worse. Before you know it this negative spiral has you spinning out of control leaving you feeling powerless to do anything about it.

Survival tips
Keep a food diary to notice times when situations or feelings may cause you to overeat. See if you can identify any ‘triggers’ to your negative feelings. Once you have identified what these triggers are take time out to develop strategies to deal with them in ways that don’t involve eating.
Remember; if you don’t help yourself no-one else will so be bold and if the real cause of your weight gain is a job, friendship or relationship that isn’t working don’t be afraid to move on.
Make a list of things you can do instead of eating when dealing with uncomfortable feelings. De-stress by taking a bath or booking a massage, vent angry feelings by writing a letter to the person that has upset you (you don’t have to send it), have a good cry at a sad film or talk through you anxieties with friends of family.
Include enjoyable things on your list too such as calling or sending an e-mail to an old friend, taking a walk or listening to music.

The Erratic Eater
You would love to be a really healthy eater but somehow ‘life’ just seems to keep getting in the way. You have plenty of good intentions about improving your diet but your busy lifestyle makes it extremely difficult to put them into practise for any period of time.
You tend to eat quite erratically, often on the run. You skip meals and then find yourself eating whatever happens to be available at the time. You invariably go too long between eating which leaves you feeling really hungry and often results in over eating at the next meal time.
You have a tendency to snack rather than make proper meals and often get by on quick fixes like tea, coffee, cola, bags of crisps or a chocolate bar here and there.

Survival tips
Make sure you always eat a healthy, low fat, high fibre breakfast such as All Bran and fruit, porridge or muesli. This will help to reduce the likelihood of becoming really hungry mid morning and snacking on high fat, high sugar quick fixes.
Always have at least two healthy snacks with you at all times such as a bag of dried fruit, a banana, yoghurt or a wholemeal teacake or scone.
Take a few minutes out to sit down and eat. Try not to do anything other than simply enjoy your food.
Reduce the temptation to skip meals or indulge in high fat quick fixes by devising five simple, healthy, low fat meals that you really like and can be made in less than five minutes then make sure you always have the ingredients in the house to make them.

The Restrictive Eater
Your answer to losing weight and improving your eating habits is to regularly take control by restricting your diet in some way. You may cut out wheat, limit your calories, put a ban of certain foods or simply try a diet that you haven’t done before but you invariably find that after a while you become disillusioned and often respond by over indulging, often in the very foods you have been denying yourself.
This cycle may become worse during periods of stress. As a restrictive eater you have placed so many embargoes on your eating habits that they have lost the skill to identify when they are truly hungry.
You many also have a lot of foods that you simply will not eat for various reasons. You can be very hard on yourself where eating is concerned and tend to be quite self critical.
Deep down you know that the real key to long term weight loss is to eat a balanced and varied diet and to exercise but you just can’t help believing that by cutting out certain food groups or restricting your diet in some way you will one day hit on a magic solution that will finally result in the body of your dreams.

Survival tips
Change your approach to weight management. Take a longer term view. Focus on eating a healthy balanced diet and getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day.
Eat smaller meals at regular times with lots of fruits and vegetables to fill you up.
Variety is the first step to achieving a truly healthy, nutrient packed diet. As a restrictive eater variety is likely to be very limited in your diet. Try to overcome that by making a list of all the foods that you don’t like. See if there are any foods that you might be able to re-introduce to your diet. Try cooking them in a different way or eating them accompanied with another food that you do like.
The supermarkets are full of fruits and vegetables from all over the world. Increase the variety in your diet by eating at least one new one that you have never tried before every week.
Forget about foods being ‘bad’ or ‘good’ but remember that all foods are fine as long as they are eaten in moderation.

The Absent Minded Eater
You lead a very busy life which means that eating healthily isn’t always as high on your priority list as you’d like it to be but on the whole you feel you eat fairly well. The majority of the food you eat is done so whilst standing up or doing something else. You do admit to snacking on the odd biscuit at work, sometimes finishing the kids leftovers, having a bit of a taste whilst cooking or nibbling while cleaning up after a meal but you are convinced that there must be some physiological reason why your weight is as it is because you just don’t eat that much!

Survival tips
Make a pact with yourself that for the next four weeks you will not do anything else whilst eating. Put a ban on eating in the car or in front of the TV Every time you eat anything, even if it’s only a small snack make sure you sit down and really take the time to enjoy your food. That way your body will get a chance to register the calories that you are taking in and you will feel far less inclined to over eat.
Encourage the whole family to sit down at the table for meal times. Try to limit the amount of opportunities you have to eat on the run. Don’t keep snack foods such as crisps or biscuits in the house, in the car or by your desk.
Limit yourself to three regular meals a day. If you still feel hungry in between meals snack on fruit.

Forget global. Think local… The upside down world of medical tourism

Forget global. Think local… The upside down world of medical tourism.

Pucker up

Berry lip colours are back in vogue.  Angelina Jolie and Michelle Williams have been rocking the natural make-up look with bold, statement lips.

 

 

Don’t be tempted to overdo colour, however – neutral eyes and cheeks work best with berry lips.  We love Arbonne Lipstick in Scarlet, this long-wearing, feather-resistant lipstick glides on easily for full coverage, and intensely conditions and hydrates lips.

It is worth noting that orange-reds are best for pale and olive skin tones, but most people can wear warm red hues.

Arbonne in the news: Cult Colour

Arbonne Cosmetic review in Vogue

Now seeking 3 serious people who would like to start there own business from home.

I am seeking 3 serious people who would like to start their own business from home. The business is selling Arbonne award winning skincare, nutrition and cosmetic products. There is no need to buy stock and start up cost 54UK pounds, or equivalent to your currency.  You can be based in any UK, Canada, Australia or USA, we are expanding within next 5 years to a global level. You don’t need any previous experience, educational level is no barrier and you only need to be 18 years or over. The only requirement is your desire and drives to be a success. I am happy if you wish to develop the business alongside your full time job.  I only need you to believe you can be successful in developing a business and for you to then pass on your experience to others.  If you feel you are the type of person who is serious about changing your prospects in life but don’t know how to go about it, please contact me now and make a commitment to yourself to improve your life through your own efforts.

Sara Bouamra

Email:  afreshme@rocketmail.com

Join online click this link Arbonne Sign Me Up!

My friends have lost weight we follow same plan so when will I see a loss?

Factors That Affect Weight Loss

We can never compare our weight loss results to another individual unless by some freak coincidence that person matches us genetically, metabolically, enzymatically and completes EXACTLY the same workout routines as you…….the chances are slim!

Several factors play a role in your ability to lose weight and the good news is that many of the points listed below are factors that YOU, as an individual, can have some degree of influence over! Let’s take a look at them now.

Breakfast choice

Cereals are one of the worst breakfast choices an individual can make! Society (or clever marketing) has conditioned us to believe that we are a nation that has very little time and that making this choice of cereal in the morning is the best option and will deliver important nutrients and heart healthy whole grains. The reality is that many of these so called ‘foods’ serve to provide us with sugar, additives and processed carbohydrates. Add in some fruit and a nice glass of orange juice and there you have it, a massive insulin spike followed swiftly by fat storage and a feeling of tiredness!

The key here is to chuck in some protein first thing in the morning. Eggs were a staple breakfast for many years and provide beneficial fats to help you with fat loss. Other things to consider are Quinoa (keen-waa), nuts, seeds with a good helping of fresh veggies or crudites.  Personally I like grilled or poached chicken breasts (1/4)  for breakfast with a small portion of scramble egg.

Exercise Approach

Let’s look back at my 5 points from earlier. If two individuals are eating exactly the same diet, one has chosen to spend 60 mins on the X-trainer three times per week and the other chooses a full body weight training routine three times per week then the effect on the body’s composition is very different therefore having a very different result on the scales.

You see, when you weight train you stress the muscle and force it to adapt. The body adapts by adding more muscle to be able to cope with the added load forced upon it. Another way in which the body adapts is by increasing the bone density, again, to allow the body to cope with the added load. By increasing these two things, yes, your weight on the scales may stay the same or go up but its NOT a bad thing. Firstly, an increase in bone density can help ward off osteoporosis and osteo-arthritis and enables you to have a nice store of beneficial minerals in times of need and secondly, and increase in muscle mass will speed up your metabolism therefore you will keep burning fat even after you leave the gym!

So you see, the person doing the weight training may not be losing much weight on the scales but is probably losing more of the wobbly stuff……FAT!!  That’s the name of the game get rid of the wobbly bits and the battle is half won.

Stress Levels

I’m going to be honest with you here. You might be doing everything right, grazing on your lunch box, drinking loads of water and lots of exercise but if your stress levels are high, it just isn’t going to happen!

Cortisol is a stress hormone released by the adrenal cortex in the adrenal glands. Cortisol is a FAT STORING HORMONE making the body insensitive to insulin and it particularly contributes to fat storage around the tummy!

Find ways to reduce your stress and start losing fat.  You will be surprised that how finding the “gym-bug” your stress levels will reduce.

Age

As we age our metabolic rate slows due in part to a reduction in muscle mass. Another reason to add in a full body weight training routine!

Sex

I’m not going to tell you to go have more (although it might add to your total daily energy expenditure!), but males have a much higher metabolic rate than that of females. You know what I’m going to say here……start weight training ladies.

Water Intake

You hear it all the time ‘drink more water’ but you don’t know why. This is a simple one. Your friend might simply be drinking more water and although it might put more weight on the scales, you’ll actually burn more fat. The liver is an important organ heavily involved in the oxidation of fat (fat burning) and an efficient liver is a hydrated liver and a hydrated liver that is efficient will burn fat like there’s no tomorrow!

Medications

Some of us have to take medications but unfortunately due to the fact that they are foreign to the body, there will be side effects. Some of these can cause weight gain or make it very difficult to lose weight.

Common drugs that can cause weight gain and slow weight loss are insulin, corticosteroids, beta blockers.

Gut Health

Many of us are deficient in Hydrocloric Acid (stomach acid) hindering our ability to absorb all of the important nutrients that help us to lose fat, Protein, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B to name a few. The reason? Stress!

Our food and the nutrients contained within it will remain, putrefying in the gut causing bloating and gas. Not a good feeling and certainly not helping with that number on the scale or giving you the proper nutrition to achieve your fat loss goals.

Try supplementing with HCL (Hydrocloric Acid) and a pro biotic and of course, stop stressing!

So there you go there are plenty of good reasons why your weight loss results might be different to someone else’s. So, when you’re down or disheartened about your results on the scales it’s important to remember that you may actually be losing fat AND achieving your goals.

Remember, people don’t walk around with their weight on display!

Bikini time, are you ready?

You are watching her walk across the pool deck from behind your shades and you say to yourself:

“I can’t believe she doesn’t have a cover up on!” Yes the green eyed monster has risen it’s ugly head as you are sat there sweltering under wraps as you left it too late to get Bikini Fit!

She struts with an air of confidence and not a bit of insecurity.  The amazing part is, she doesn’t have a cover-up or a sarong tied around her hips!  Heads are turning as she strides over to her beach chair; her posture is that of a ballerina as she elegantly reaches for her towel from her beach tote.  She has captivated everyone’s attention without even saying one word.  As she waves to her friends on the other side of the pool, there is not an ounce of jiggle in her arms.  She begins to apply her sun block to her evenly tanned and golden brown body starting with her smooth, sleek and cellulite-free legs.  Her round butt rivals that of top celebrities.  Her flat abs and whittled waist lead up to her youthful buxom bosom.  Her bikini looks as if it were tailor made for her fit hourglass physique, hugging all the right curves.  As she flips her shiny hair, it cascades down her beautiful back and she alluringly smiles, toying with her bikini strings,  revealing her self-assuredness as all the men stare.  She’s the center of everyone’s attention, even yours!

What does she have that separates her from all of the other girls at the pool?  She’s got a Bikini Body!

Don’t leave it too late to get yours!

Yes if you start now you can be bikini fit by summer!  It can be YOU who is the CENTRE OF ATTENTION … yes it’s true in just four months from now you can be the one turning the heads.

What YOU can do to help yourself!

Now is the time to ban the booze until you hit the beach.  Alcohol causes you to look puffy and contains lots of extra calories that you definitely do not need.

We normally underestimate how much we eat by 25 per cent (National Obesity forum). With this in mind you can immediately see the importance of portion control.

Your entire meal should fit into your cupped hands. If it overflows, you’re eating too much.  So stop overloading your plate.  If this is a problem for you, think about investing in some smaller plates and bowls.

Avoid the biscuit tin and all processed sweet products. Fruit and vegetables are the champions of the hour. Not only will these provide you with lots of lovely nutrients and vitamins at a low-calorie cost, but they will also add a glow to your skin and a spring to your step.

Water, water, water, it’s time to get drinking and at a very minimum, you need two litres a day and absolutely no fizzy drinks. Dehydration causes water retention. This is the last thing you need. If you can steer clear of coffee and tea too, all the better. If you feel you need a hot drink why not give herbal tea a go? Green tea is hailed as one of the reasons Japanese women stay slim and youthful.

What Secret Surgery can do to help you …

Having trouble with your diet?  Have a few extra pounds to shift and can’t seem to get a grip on your eating habits?  Don’t worry we have the perfect solution for you.

What Weight Loss Surgery Options are available?

There are a number of types of gastric weight loss surgery available including a gastric band, a gastric bypass, a gastric wrap and a gastric balloon. All these provide a means of weight loss for those who are obese and for whom all other means of losing weight have been tried and have failed.

The Gastric Band

Having a gastric band fitted is one of the most popular means of weight loss surgery and can be carried out by keyhole surgery allowing a quicker recovery time afterwards. The procedure involves having a silicone plastic ring fitted round the top part of the stomach to give a pouch in the stomach which is about the size of a golf ball. This aims to result in a restriction of the amount of food that can be eaten by the patient. The bulk of the stomach is below the band and the food from the upper pouch slowly passes into it helping the patient to feel full up for longer.

It is a procedure that is reversible if needed and as the band is inflatable it can be adjusted to ensure that a sensible weight loss of one or two pounds a week is achieved. This surgery is suitable for those with a body mass index of thirty or above and can help improve or completely cure other forms of illness such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, fatty liver disease and asthma attacks. It is normal prior to undergoing surgery to have a consultation to access if it is the correct procedure to have done and to discuss if a pre-gastric band diet is required.

The Gastric Wrap

Having a gastric wrap is much less complicated than any other weight loss surgery. It is a fairly new treatment but statistics show that a greater loss of weight can be obtained with this procedure rather than having a gastric band fitted and shows that the patient experiences less problems in the long term.

A gastric wrap can be carried out using keyhole surgery and involves folding the stomach in on itself and then the edges are stitched to turn the stomach into a narrow tube therefore restricting the amount of food that can be consumed.

It is ideal for people who want to lose a large amount of weight quite quickly and keep it off permanently and so are willing work with the wrap to obtain the best results. It is a good alternative for anyone who has had a gastric band fitted which has failed. This procedure does not require any cutting and removing of part of the stomach and most importantly is reversible if needed. However it is still a serious procedure to undergo and should therefore only be offered to those who have not had any success in losing weight any other way. This type of procedure should not be used as an easy solution for dealing with overweight and obesity. Unlike the gastric band, a gastric wrap does not involve having any medical device in your body to go wrong. It removes the chance of any problems occurring due to slipping or eroding which can happen in other types of restrictive surgery.

The Gastric Bypass

Having a gastric bypass includes reducing the size of the stomach so that amount of food that can be eaten is reduced as well as re-routing the intestines so that less calories and nutrients are absorbed from the food. As this is major surgery it can result in a dramatic weight loss and cannot be reversed.

This procedure is also performed under general anaesthetic and can take up to three hours. Using either keyhole or open surgery, the stomach is divided using surgical staples creating a smaller stomach. The small intestine is then attached to this smaller stomach, shortening the digestive system. This not only makes the patient feel fuller quicker, but reduces the amount of calories absorbed through digestion due to the reduced area of lower intestine that the ingested food comes in to contact with. The drastic and rapid results may result in patients experiencing excess skin or sagging after this procedure.

The Gastric Balloon

A non invasive and more temporary procedure is to have a gastric balloon fitted. It is usually fitted for around six to twelve months and during that time the patient can lose on average between two and three stones. It is used to kick start weight loss and a change in lifestyle to enable the patient to continue with the weight loss regime when the balloon is removed.

The gastric balloon works in the same way as the gastric band and bypass, by making the size of the stomach smaller and therefore reducing the amount of food that can be eaten. The balloon is a soft sack which is filled with saline once it has been inserted into the stomach. As having a gastric balloon fitted is non surgical, it carries less risk than the other weight loss options and is generally cheaper to carry out. It also means that the amount of recovery time needed afterwards is much less.

Secret Surgery holds the key to your success … 

Our Weight Loss Surgery patients have great success at a fraction of the cost of surgery in the UK.  We are the market leaders in Cosmetic Surgery in Europe and will ensure that you receive the best treatment available.  For a quotation on your WLS requirements please contact Sara-SecretSurgery@live.co.uk

Okay I’ve lost the weight now what?

At SecretSurgery we have solutions for all your hang ups, be it the size of your breasts to the sagging of your thighs, we can fix it!

       

Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

A Tummy Tuck, technically referred to as abdominoplasty, is a procedure that will remove excess fat and skin from around the waist and removes excess skin to leave a flatter, lower body profile and younger-looking abdomen. It can also remove or reduce the appearance of stretch marks on your lower abdomen. The operation can remove folds of skin left behind after losing a lot of weight, and tighten stretched skin and muscles after pregnancy.

Vaser Liposuction – Precise Body Sculpting Treatment

VASER Lipo uses a process called LipoSelection^® to target specific areas of fat throughout the body. It’s powerful enough to target large areas of fat, yet gentle enough to also treat delicate areas of the body, such as the neck and arms.

Typical liposuction aggressively removes fat, which can damage surrounding tissues and impose a longer recovery period. VASER Lipo is tissue-selective, meaning it can specifically target fat, while protecting nerves, blood vessels and connective tissues from damage. As a result, patients experience minimal pain and bruising and a quick return to normal activities.

VASER Lipo can be performed while patients are awake in an office-based setting or under general anesthesia in a surgical center.

Breast Augmentation (Implants, Enlargement)

Breast enlargement is the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures.  Feeling good about your breasts can have a big impact on your confidence. We can advise you on the enhanced size of your breasts to suit your individual body shape.

Brazilian Butt Lift

A Brazilian Butt Lift (Buttock Lift) is a procedure that uses liposuction to harvest fat from your arms, legs or abdomen. Often the liposuction is used to sculpt the hips flanks and thighs around the buttocks, giving them more definition. This is an additional benefit to the Brazilian butt lift; not only do you get a more shapely butt, but this will also accentuate your new curves.

Exercise

Move your body and get active. Get down to the gym, on that bike, throw your stuff around the aerobic studio, jump, skip, swim…whatever it takes.  Ban yourself from lifts, get off the bus early. I know you have heard it all before but now is the time to do it.

Incorporate some resistance training. The benefits will definitely show in time for that bikini moment.  Lunges and squats are great for getting your bum into shape while dips and press-ups will tone flabby arms.  Aim for two sets of 12 – 20 reps at least three times each week.

Posture

With only one week till bikini showdown I shall now share a key secret weapon: posture. By addressing you posture, within minutes you’ve apparently shifted half a stone in weight.

As many of us are daily desk warriors we have a tendency to slump our shoulders and curve our backs. For an amazingly fast improvement in how you look and feel practice sitting and standing with your shoulder blades pulled back and down. This will lengthen your neck and make your whole upper body appear narrower. Concentrate too on activating your core muscles. Stand up tall and pull your tummy button in towards your spine. A slimmer more elegant you in approximately one minute, it’s easy when you know how!

Carb Free Meals!

I am not an advocate of the Atkins diet as I like being able to talk to people without killer dog breath. However, at this stage in proceedings, cut down on the carbs after 5pm.  This again will help combat any bloating.  Better still if you can eat your evening meal before 7pm.

Fake not Bake …

Pale may be interesting but sadly we don’t all have Liv Tyler’s physique.  To boost the now trimmer you, invest in a good fake tan.  If you’ve got some cash to spend then a ‘Fantasy Tan’, where your tan is literally airbrushed onto your body, is fantastic. And no, it’s not cheating.

Salon Waxing

Being hair-free is almost as important as your passport. Shiny, hairless legs look longer and leaner so don’t deny yourself this advantage. It’s up to you how far you want to go during your visit to the salon but for ultimate bikini beauty and confidence I recommend removal of as much body hair as possible.

I think it is important to add a special note that I do not recommend home waxing unless you are a professional or crazy. A friend of mine once had a nasty incident with a home waxing kit. I will spare you the details, suffice to say she was in shorts for the duration of her holiday and was walking like John Wayne!

Finishing Touch ….

You’ve worked hard, you look fabulous. Take some time to administer loving care to your feet and hands. Head back to the salon for  your pedicure and manicure to top your new body off ….

Hollywood toes look fantastic when you pick the glittery bright shades with an amazing dark tan … or go for the classic french manicure.

Now off you go. Have fun, be good, and for an instant pre-night out body boost, 10 squats, 10 press-ups and 20 sit-ups should keep you looking good till sunrise.

Shape Up While You Clean!

The messy kids, the hair-shedding pets, the chip-munching spouse, the sleet-splattered windows — it’s spring cleaning time again!  If only there were some redeeming virtue to housework (other than a cleaner house, of course).

Spring has sprung, so now it’s time for some Spring cleaning.  Maybe dusting and organizing clutter is not the most exciting way to spend your weekend, but you’ll feel so much better you’ll feel when it is all done.

 

Go ahead and clean out your closet, dust under your bed and on top of the fridge, vacuum your mattress to get rid of dust mites, and open up the windows to get some fresh air circulating.  A huge plus is you’ll also be burning some major calories too.  To find out how many read more.

Like any physical activity, chores you do around the house and garden can burn calories and stretch and tone muscles — if you do them correctly.

 

Forget the old “No pain, no gain” mantra.  Doctors now believe that even short bouts of relatively mild exercise can help improve your fitness level — especially for people who are just getting started with exercise.  Though it’s not likely to give you the body of a swimsuit model, doing some sort of moderate activity for 30 minutes every day can bring real health benefits.

 

Here are some other tips for making housework a workout:

• Put on some fast music — rock and roll, salsa, whatever you like. This helps you pick up speed, Findley says. A bathroom should only take 20 minutes to clean, she says. So get moving!
• Whenever you’re doing chores, tighten your abs. This prevents you from slouching.
• Stretch extra-high to knock down those cobwebs or prune that limb. You should feel it along your side.
• Strive for large up-and-down movements. When cleaning a shower door, for example, make big circles. “I am a trainer and I feel like my arm is about to fall off!” exclaims Mandel.
• Carry heavy baskets of laundry or supplies up from the basement, if your conditioning allows.
• Climb on a stepladder every chance you get. “What’s the difference between this and a step class?” Mandel asks.
• Scrub floors on your hands and knees. And get on your hands and knees to pull out all that dust and clutter hiding under the bed.
• Do lunges while vacuuming (keep toes pointed straight ahead, and don’t bend your knees further than 90 degrees). You’ll feel it in your thighs.
• When putting away dishes, face forward and twist to reach the cabinets.
• In the garden, lunge toward weeds. “Some of them have roots 5 feet long,” Mandel says. “Those’ll give you a workout!”
• Pruning requires forearm strength (and helps develop it). It also requires reaching on your toes — like a calf raise, Mandel says. So volunteer for this chore, and don’t be afraid of thicker or higher branches.
• Pouring mulch or fertilizer from a heavy bag requires a squat. Remember to use your legs, not your back.
• Wielding a weed-eater is like fencing, almost. Pull in those abs and pay attention to your form.
• If you have area rugs, beat them using a clean broom rather than vacuuming. This means more steps to get outside and more exercise for your arm muscles.

These calculations are based on a 130-pound woman.

Activity:	Calories burned per 30 minutes:
Mopping or sweeping the floor	85
Dusting	85
Gardening/weeding	140
Ironing	74
Doing laundry	73
Mowing the lawn	163
Mowing the lawn (push mower)	172
Raking the lawn	125
Rearranging furniture	101
Washing dishes	85
Washing the car	101
Washing windows	85
Cleaning out the garage	101

Compare these counts with walking for 30 minutes (at 3 mph), which burns 155 calories.

While even the most intensely calorie-burning chores can’t replace structured exercise completely, every little bit of activity helps.  And along with the fitness benefits come added dividends:  A cleaner house, a beautiful yard, and a sense of satisfaction.

Cosmetic Surgery for Muslim’s

Many countries in the Arab world have been caught up in the recent wave of plastic surgery.

While Muslim women throughout the Berber region have traditionally used tattoos between their eyes, on their hands or beneath their lips as a sign of beauty, until just a few years ago only artists and singers had cosmetic surgery.

But these days the rapid development of the Arabic society has led to a demand for cosmetic surgery from ordinary women wanting to look good.

Cosmetic surgery includes procedures such as breast enhancement or reduction, face lift, upper and lower eyelid surgery, chemical peels, nose reshaping (rhinoplasty), liposuction and tummy tucks.

It is distinct from reconstructive surgery, another form of plastic surgery, which is used to restore the form and function of the body, such as in the case of disfiguring or disabling injuries.

Some people argue that to an extent plastic surgery has become a necessity amid the social development taking place in the country, where certain standards of beauty are being imposed.

Cosmetic surgery is regularly performed to children with congenital abnormalities such as cleft palate. The surgery ensures these children will not be rejected by society in the future.

While the benefit of these restorative procedures is widely supported, cosmetic surgery is often criticized as a fashion spurred by globalization and the spread of satellite television channels featuring artists, especially singers and actors, who promote a narrow and unrealistic perception of beauty.

However there are more women and men who are choosing to travel to Europe for cosmetic surgery procedures via SecretSurgery who offer discrete surgical procedures along with short break vacations.

Secret Surgery provides surgical procedures through out Europe and offers an Islamic package for ladies wishing to travel accompanied.  For more details contact Sara-SecretSurgery@live.co.uk or visit their website.

A Brief Islamic Guide To Cosmetic Surgery:

Doctors who specialize in plastic or cosmetic surgery define it as surgery performed to improve the appearance of part of the body. This may be done by choice, or because it is necessary.

Plastic surgery that is considered necessary is that which is done when there is a need for it, when something does not look right, when something is missing, if there is too much or too little of something, or because something has been destroyed or deformed. At the same time, it is regarded as “cosmetic” surgery because it results in improved appearance.

Faults may be of two types: physical or congenital faults and faults which result from illness. Congenital faults include abnormally turned-out lips, hare-lips, twisted fingers or toes, etc. Faults which result from illness include the scars left by leprosy or other skin diseases, or scars caused by accidents and burns. There is no doubt that such faults and scars cause physical and psychological pain and harm, therefore Islam allows people afflicted with them to remove or reduce them by surgical means. They cause the kind of mental and psychological pain that allows this surgery as an urgent need, where necessity permits something that is ordinarily forbidden. Any cosmetic surgery which comes under this heading of need because of the fact that the reason for the surgery is causing harm is permissible, and is not considered to be changing the creation of Allah.