Do you ever pause long enough to seriously consider giving yourself the profound pampering you deserve?
If not, you can start now. With thoughts of an oriental spa parlor.
Oriental spa parlors combine massage and therapies with a holistic approach to wellness with eastern influences.
Found mainly in south east asian countries, the oriental spa parlor also attracts indulgence-seekers from Morocco to London, Tenerife to Washington.
In Marrakech, from the entrance the Essaadi you are under the spell of the oriental setting, the refinement of the treatments and the choice of typical Moroccan oils for massages...
Read on as you
drift off to your own oriental spa parlor ...
Jewelry spa body piercing - here's what you'all really need to know!
Body jewelry is a cult of its own with a life of its own ... in fact, many people don't even know what it is, let alone what it's all about.
Many of us are used to things like rings, necklaces, and earrings. But, what about navel rings?
What is it about navel piercing that has teenagers so engrossed in it?
Mike Yeager has some
piercing insights that might help us all ...
One Small Step for ...
Ever wonder what it takes to start a revolution?
Sometimes, it's a woman.
Like Margie Sola. Among the bus drivers of the Bronx.
Almost single-handedly she appears to have turned this hirsute brigade into beauty afficionados ... biweekly manicures, seaweed body wraps and a no-holds-barred depilation of back and shoulders.
You can read about it
here.
Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.
Five years ago, Jon Benson was sick, fat and slowly dying.
Today he's so fit and healthy it's almost sickening - for others.
When you've got the proof -
the before and after photos are here - you've got two things going for you.
One is untold energy.
The other is a passion to help others tap into the same source.
And it's the same source that can help you achieve whatever you like in your beauty fitness ambitions.
The secret? Role modeling.
It's the core of NLP and ancient self improvement techniques that have proven themselves over and over again.
But what Jon did was rather neat.
"Why not compile an entire book full of role models and let them write about their own transformations - in their own words - to serve as examples, to educate and to motivate other people?" he thought.
And you should see
the examples he's found!
In his own case, he says the results included:
'My body fat decreased from 38% to 9%
My muscle mass skyrocketed by 14 pounds
My strength almost doubled
My waist quickly shrank from 44 to 33
My aerobic capacity increased
My blood pressure dropped
My resting heart rate fell from 98 to 59
My hormones evened out.
At age 40, I achieved the best shape of my life!'
Worth watching.
(Incidentally, he's offering a $1200 bonus of e-books, audio MP3’s, e-courses and special reports if you 'test drive' his course between Wednesday, February 23rd and Friday, February 25th).
Facial beauty fitness - like body beauty fitness - is a very important part of self-esteem.
Some folk spend inordinate amounts of time and money on pampering their faces in their attempts to look good.
Yet, there is a low-cost alternative that works great for some - it's called
facial exercising.
Susan Denny has developed an entire facial beauty fitness program with impressive results. Check out the story.
Thought I'd be smart and save myself some time and give you some real bonuses.
And ran into a brick wall. Or two.
"Here there be dragons," was the line printed around all the old sailor's maps when they stretched into the unknown.
I'd better take the warning in this uncharted (for me) blogging sea. So my grand plans might just take a little longer!
In the meantime, here's something you might enjoy.
Belly Dance a Gift to Beauty FitnessBelly dance is one of the finest fitness and beauty exercises conducted outside the gym ... one, as Taaj Fi Qalbi explains, with amazing side benefits...
Tick the Tack
Hi
Good to be here. But I have that feeling that I need to make this my place. Know what I mean?
Laurie's put up a lot of good info, and I'll try to continue that (better not say 'improve' it, had I? Or should I!)
Anyway, a bit of housekeeping first. A few changes to make, and then I'll get into some postings.
See you soon.
Change of Tack
A number of incidents this last week have set me to quite a bit of thinking. So much to do, so little me.
Unfortunately, I've spread myself too thin. There are only so many hours in a day.
So this will probably be my last blog entry. I'll hand over the reins to Lyn Devon. It's not a big task, but it is something that remains on my mind most of each day.
You will be in good hands, I assure you.
Thank you for the support you've provided since we started.
And allow me to wish you everything you deserve in your beauty fitness pursuits. Au revoir.
Time to Cite the Site (Map)
Several people have asked, so here is the URL of the
Beauty Fitness site map.
I thought it was easy to find through the link on the main navigation bar, but apparently not.
There is a link to most of the major articles on that page, and details of how to link to the site (which I highly encourage!)
In fact, to make it a win-win all round, I try to avoid the 'Link Exchange' pages. In my view, the best linking strategy is through swapping articles.
That way each site preserves its Page Rank, and adds value for its visitors. Dedicated 'link pages' tend to reduce the benefit to all parties.
Plus everyone in the beauty fitness community gets the benefit of new fresh information about their favorite topic.
So if your pet theme is missing, or not covered as well as you'd like - or you'd just like to see your name and material published! - go to that page for full details on how to go about it.
I look forward to seeing your contributions!
Time to Harvest Laughter
Most beauty fitness enthusiasts have come across the Norman Cousens story of how he laughed himself back from terminal illness.
Well now, it seems, the 'laughter gland' (to continue a theme!) has even more power than just saving lives!
How about opening parallel dimensions?
University of Queensland (Australia) researcher Professor Jack Pettigrew has described just that in the current issue of the journal
Clinical and Experimental Optometry.
You know those optical illusions - the Necker cube, the young woman/old woman etc?
Well apparently what happens normally is that the brain sends alternate messages from each eye, very rapidly - a process known as binocular rivalry. So people just don't see the two versions of the illusions at the same time.
They have to focus, first on one, then on the other.
But when you laugh, the images blend together and the illusion is lost, leaving just a flat 2D image.
"If you can see both images together, you can be pretty sure you're seeing from both hemispheres at the same time," Professor Pettigrew said.
"It's a surprisingly large affect from such a banal phenomenon."
Just think about that for a moment.
Laughter can transform brain function.
If you really need proof, just think about the last time you had an uproarious laughing exchange, and how the ideas spontaneously popped into your head and out of your mouth.
And now imagine the possibilities of harnessing that 'banal phenomenon' to jet-propel your beauty fitness goals...
Is that exciting, or what?
The Glands Have It
There's something about the female mammary glands ...
Even my 12-year-old was called a 'bra wannabe' by a boy at school yesterday. Whatever that means. (Her interpretation was that it meant she was padding her bra to larger proportions.)
And a girl I once shared a flat with commented that her high school days were a nightmare because of the size of her breasts.
Two reasons - boys' unwanted attention, and limitations on her beloved sporting activities.
And at the other end of the spectrum are the deprived - flat-chested ladies who crave curves.
From a beauty fitness perspective, the 'ideal' no doubt varies enormously. Partly driven by how you generate your self-esteem (from within or from the views of others), and partly by the physical pressures of your activities.
Coping options vary just as much. From accepting yourself as you are, to adaptive bras, to adjustive surgery.
Bottom line? Despite campaigns to the contrary, they really are one of the strongest signs of feminity. But by no means are they the only one.
There are many other ways a woman can show she is a woman, and enjoy the life
she wants to lead. It all starts in that gland between your ears!
When Hair Color Is Off-Color
Just had an inquiry about how to remove a dark brown hair dye put in natural blond hair.
The most efffective remedy depends on just what sort of color was used. To remove hair color you need the appropriate product or process, considering what you are working with.
For instance, avoid clarifying shampoo to maintain hair color - it will strip your hair of its color.
If you color your hair and you now want to go back to your natural color, don't simply put another darker color over the hair that has been colored. It won't come out fine!
When hair has been lightened, it has been bleached and colored all at the same time.
As the hair lightens is goes through stages of color removal and these colors need to be added back into the hair before applying a final formula. This is called 'filling' the hair.
You are much better off going back to the professional who did the job in the first place and getting them to change it.
It is possible - it just needs the right materials for your particular hair.
It can take an hour or so, and also be applied roots to ends, depending on the condition of the hair. The more damaged or porous the hair is, the less time it will take.
Clean off a strand of hair with an old damp rag every few minutes to see how the color is looking.
Valentine ePostcards for You
Valentine's day is a special event. How can you offer something special?
The Positive-Club has designed several flash e-cards that you can forward:
Thank you for sharing my life You are my universe "Be my Valentine" One for a past love you want to refresh:
As usual, it's free for you.
Fed Up With Getting Fit?
The keener you get with fitness, the more there is often a temptation to 'build yourself up'.
But the healthy way to add pounds is by building muscle - leaner, not necessarily bigger.
Muscle development takes time and a good training program.
It also means you may have to refocus on how and what you eat.
Dieticians suggest you will get the extra energy needed to support exercise and muscle building if you follow this outline:
= Eat frequent mini-meals
= Increase portions at mealtime
= Snack between meals
= Get most of your extra energy from nutrient-dense, high-carb foods
= And for extra meals or snacks, try high-carb liquid meal supplements for convenience.
Second Opinions Count
My better half has just returned from getting a 'second opinion'.
She's been troubled by a painful foot for some months, and the administrations of GP and physio have had little benefit.
So eventually, off to a second GP for a second opinion.
The first breakthrough was simply in the approach adopted by the new doctor.
She related in a completely different, personal manner, flipped open a user-friendly book complete with photographs and checklists, and proceeded to deliver an illuminating, helpful appraisal.
Bottom line is 'perfectly normal' but a much longer timeframe for recovery. And assurance that it will recover.
I guess that's the problem with 'quick fix' mentality - when the first team's deadlines came and went, they instilled a fear of
ever getting better.
Now, at least, there's a more confident hope. So long as patience prevails.
Oral Health Coming into the Open
Oral Health is one of those topics that rarely gets an airing - unless you or someone close to you has a problem.
Yet this year there appears to be a movement or two that suggest it may be becoming a more topical topic.
Or did I pay more attention to my dentist the other day than I should have?
Incidentally, her verbal acrobatics were sensational - I wish I could remember them all.
(She's new, you see, having taken over from the previous person who went to work in the tsunami-affected areas last month.)
Anyway, the new lady found some problems with a filling I'd complained about for months to the previous person, who said it was fine.
The new lady, realising her predecessor might be back one day, was beautifully delicate in tiptoeing around the fact that the filling was one of the roughest bits of work she's seen!
Anyway ... oral health. Here are a few of the areas that we may be hearing more about in the months ahead:
. a system that utilizes 'good guy' bacteria to prevent bad breath 'permanently' (It's also supposed to be nearly 100% effective in preventing sore throats, too!)
. breath strips that work effectively
without blowing the top off your head, and
. an oral rinse that is also a toothpaste and a tooth whitener
The times they are a'changin!
In Asia, the Eyelids Have It!
One of the most popular plastic surgery procedures among Asian women in both Asia and America appears to be something called Asian Blepharoplasty, or the double eyelid procedure.
What it does is create an upper eyelid fold, or a crease, because (unlike other ethnicities} about half of all Asians have just a single eyelid.
The beauty of this procedure is that it allows people to enchance their beauty
and maintain their ethnic identity. It doesn't make them appear more “Western” or “American”.
Result? It can make the person appear more refreshed and less stoic.
Having the eye fold apparently also makes it easier to apply makeup.
The Brain Fry Gym Experience
Moving around in a different gym yesterday, I felt quite disoriented. Is that normal?
Somehow, everything seemed as though it was under pressure. There was no lightness and energy - it was all dogged determination, hard sweat and ... well ... dauntingly difficult.
The background noise was deep and drumming, like a rumbling piston that would never take prisoners. The people were exhausted or spaced out.
Where was the vitality their brochures proclaimed? I could see the multi millions of dollars worth of equipment, but where was the spirit?
I've been in dowdy, worn-out basement gyms with more uplifting energy, more life than this one.
If that's what upmarket does for you, it's no wonder some folk find the very idea of working out in a gym repulsive.
To my mind, beauty fitness is an uplifting ideal, an energiser, not an enervator. Something to light a fire in you, not fry your cortex.
I wonder how many gym managers know the difference?
Feelings Count
Have you ever walked into a room or somebody's company and felt your mood change?
From a placid 'normal' state, you suddenly become weighed down by worry, or gloom, or anxiety.
Or alternatively, you're suddenly buoyed with joy, excitement, glee ...
Why? What caused it?
And if it goes one way, can it go the other? Could
you change it?
The answer is a decided 'Yes'.
More and more I'm beginning to believe the particle physicists who say that everything - everything - is energy.
Which means that ultimately, we attract or control the energy we experience.
I remember years ago reading Tony Robbins' comment that he watched people coming to his counselling sessions, shoulders bowed, downcast.
When they arrived he greeted them excitedly, and showed them around the remarkable castle in which he worked.
He infected them with his mood, and they eagerly and happily soaked up his amazing place.
Then he'd catch them. "We can start our session now."
And immediately their shoulders and heads would droop, their voices would drop an octave or two ... and they were back in their gloom.
You see - we
can change how we feel. It's just a choice. And too many of us don't make it.
Next time you feel the mood around you change for the worse,
decide to change it. Simply decide.
You'll be amazed at how that decision will straighten your body, put a spring in your step, a sparkle in your eyes ... and infect those around you with a 'positive bug'.
And when you can do it on cue like that, give yourself some artificial cues - when you pass that corner, or finish a particular task.
Take stock, and if your mood is not what it could be,
change it.
And enjoy the results!
Pick a Shape - Any Shape!
Swimsuits can be one of the most feared or favored outfits among beauty fitness afficionados - because of what they reveal!
And in warm weather, near the beach, out they'll come - for better or worse.
If your exercise program has yet to achieve the results you're seeking, perhaps you'd benefit from a few minutes extra considering just what your swimsuit should look like.
Because that will dictate what
you look like!
Men have little choice in styles, but women have plenty - and both can play with the material and its design.
One advantage of shopping at specialist swimwear shops is that the folk there probably have plenty of experience suggesting which suits will flatter which body types.
As one retailer said: "There are suits to create curves where needed, suits to minimize hips, suits to whittle waistlines, others to add shape to specific areas."
Lines and colors are very important in minimizing or accentuating particular parts of the body.
- black and darker colors are often used to minimize,
- vertical stripes also minimize, and
- horizontal stripes accentuate
See what you can come up with!
Why You Should Become a Stayer
'Lose weight quick' - or some variation on it - is one of the most-searched terms in the beauty fitness search engines.
The idea is appealing, but unfortunately, the results are appalling.
Most people who jam into such programs crash-diet and over-train for a purpose, often an unrealistically close deadline.
Sure, they may lose weight, they may gain energy, and perhaps they'll even look ripped.
But the morning after the deadline is met - goals achieved or not - they stop!
And down the gurgler goes all the good intentions, all the gains, and all the motivation.
They end up back where they started, or even worse. Because now they 'know' they can never stick to a plan that works.
What a disaster.
Beauty fitness and health are lifetime pursuits. They're a way of living. An attitude. Not a quick fix.
If you plan on living well, start adjusting to that attitude now. Sprinting is not necessarily bad - just decide to become a stayer as well.
How Fit Are You?
A poster at the physiotherapist's rooms the other day caught my eye. It asked 'Are You Fit?'.
And the response was one of the better ones I've seen. Try this on for size:
"Fitness can best be described as the ability to get through your day with sufficient energy reserves so as not to endanger your health or safety.
"Fitness enables you to cope and allows sufficient reserves to stave off illness, explore new activities and to wake feeling rested, as well as improving body tone and appearance. All of this in turn, can help your mental approach to life and to yourself.
"If you currently cope with all your daily activities (work, sport, domestic and child rearing duties) without undue fatigue at day's end, then you are fit - at least for your current lifestyle.
"But if you don't complete all your day's activities or you feel exhausted at the end of the day, you aren't fit and may be risking illness or injury as a result."
That get the neurons moving?
