5 must have Healthy snacks !

Snacks are an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Healthy snacks can help provide extra nutrients and also count towards our five a day target of fruit and vegetables. Healthy natural snacks should be eaten between meals and will help towards your health and nutrition. Nutritionists recommend that healthy snacks should contain vegetables, fruit, nuts or cereal grains. They will also cost you less than buying junk food that has little nutritional value and is bad for your health. Combining healthy snacks with a good diet and exercise leads to an improved wellbeing. The five ideas below, for healthy snacks, are suitable for everyone from school children to those at work.

Avocado and cheese sandwich made with wholemeal bread. Avocados are a good source of vitamin E and C as well as being high in fibre and potassium. They also contain folic acid, an important vitamin for pregnant women. Cheese contains important levels of calcium and wholemeal bread is high in fibre.

Dried banana chips. Dried banana chips are often fried in coconut oil and coated in honey. Bananas contain high levels of vitamin A and C. They are also rich in potassium. You can often find banana chips included in muesli. Great for a carbohydrate boost.

Crackers and cheese. A very popular snack after dinner. Cheese is high in calcium. Crackers also come in wholemeal varieties and these are a good source of extra fibre.

Fruit salad. You can combine any of your favourite fruits in this snack such as kiwi fruit, apples, pear, and nectarines. This snack will help you towards your five a day of fruit and vegetables.

Hummus in pita bread. Hummus is made from dried chickpeas, garlic and sometimes tahini. Hummus contains fibre and iron; tahini is made from sesame seeds and is high in calcium.

Read More

"A Better You"

I think I lost count on how many times I've read and heard of celebrity marriages failing almost left and right. Not that I care (and personally I don't), it seems strange that we often see movie and TV stars as flawless people, living the fairytale life of riches and glamour. I suppose we all have to stop sticking our heads in the clouds and face reality.

There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem despite of how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Here are some of the things you can think and improve on that should be enough for a week.

1. Know your purpose
Are you wandering through life with little direction - hoping that you'll find happiness, health and prosperity? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time.

This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there's always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

2. Know your values
What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals for 2005 - check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn't align with any of your top five values - you may want to reconsider it or revise it.

The number shouldn't discourage you, instead it should motivate you to do more than you can ever dreamed of.

3. Know your needs
Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it's too late!

4. Know your passions
You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who has inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.

5. Live from the inside out
Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us city slickers it's hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. In my case I often just sit in a dimly lit room and play some classical music. There's sound, yes, but music does soothe the savage beast.

6. Honor your strengths
What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three - if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.

7. Serve others
When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit - your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done to them.

Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that is worth it. It shouldn't always be within the confines of an office building, or maybe in the four corners of your own room. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.

Read More

How to Remove Wrinkles ?

Aging of the skin is a natural process by which the collagen and elastin, that keep our skin looking firm and youthful, begin to decline, this results in wrinkles. Cell production and cell quality also diminish over time resulting in wrinkles. These factors unfortunately are out of our control, though diet and supplements can slow down the process, but it wonít stop it.

The influences that are within our control are largely environmental such as pollution (eg; smoking) and sun damage. Here are 20 easy ways to reduce wrinkles and slow down the aging process.

1.    Stop smoking!
2.    Always wear sunscreen whether itís cloudy or sunny and don't sunbake.
3.    Hydrate your skin by drinking about 8 glasses of water a day.
4.    Use skin care products that contain antioxidants and AHA's.
5.    Moisturize the skin on your face twice daily.
6.    Reduce stress. (Try reading, exercising, meditating) 15 minutes a day is a good start.
7.    Reduce alcohol consumption. Over indulging can put enormous strain on your system and will accelerate wrinkles forming.
8.    Eat healthily by incorporating plenty of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.
9.    Sleep at least 8 hours every night.
10.   Eat fish three times a week. Great for the skin and general health.
11.   Check with your doctor about taking supplements, your diet may be lacking some of the important ones.
12.   Use an eye cream for the delicate skin around the eyes nightly.
13.   Facial scrubs remove the build up of dead cells that can increase the appearance of wrinkles, try this weekly.
14.   Use natural skin care products that will nourish your skin and give it lots of vitamins and minerals to help it stay fresh and healthy.
15.   Jojoba oil resembles the skins natural oils. Dab this around the eyes to keep wrinkles at bay.
16.   Take vitamin C supplements and use products that contain vitamin C, it will help boost your collagen.
17.   Start a good skin care routine in your 20ís. Prevention is easier than the cure.
18.   Honey is known worldwide for itís beneficial abilities. Use a honey mask weekly. Simply apply the honey to your face and neck and leave for 30 minutes then rinse off. This mask will "feed" your skin with nutrients.
19.    Aloe Vera and Avocado oil both have the ability to prevent the skin from drying out; they are both used to improve the skins elasticity.
20.    A soothing way to help achieve a wrinkle-free face is to lie on your back with your knees elevated by placing a pillow or cushion beneath them.

Try this when you are watching TV or reading.

Read More

How to Get Rid of Cellulite

 Each day brings us one step closer to busting out the bathing suits and baring our bodies.  This is the time of year when many people, women in particular, start scrutinizing their body closer than ever.  My inbox is proof of this.  I have decided to write an article about the number one question of last week- how to banish cellulite.

I was a bit surprised at the many misconceptions surrounding cellulite.  A lot of women asked if such-and-such cream would work, if they should stop eating cottage cheese or if surgery was their only option.

What exactly is cellulite and what is the best way to get rid of it?

Cellulite is nothing more than additional fat cells stored in your body.  We all have connective tissue that separates fat cells into little compartments.  Women have honey-combed shaped compartments and men have a crisscross pattern.  The honey-combed shape compartments are the reason some women have dimply thighs, or cottage cheese looking arms.

Getting rid of cellulite is simple, but not necessarily easy.  The only way cellulite can be reduced is to reduce overall body fat.  You cannot spot reduce or rub a cream on it.  You cannot starve yourself either.  The only way to rid yourself of cellulite is to follow these 5 highly effective, simple, and to-the-point tips.

1) Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day.  Each meal should be 2-3 hours apart.  Each meal should contain one protein and one carb.  The first meal should be eaten within an hour after waking.

2) Drink a cup of water at each meal.

3) Rest properly.  This means taking at least 48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and it also means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night.  Lastly, it means taking 1-2 days off from exercising per week.

4) Cardio should be done at different intensity levels and different session lengths.  Consider doing a low intensity/long session, a high intensity/short session and a few medium intensity/medium length sessions per week.

5) Strength train each muscle 1-3 times per week.  You should lift a proper weight and perform the proper amount of sets/reps for your strength training method.  If you need more guidance or exercise ideas you can head over http://www.strength-training-woman.com

All of the above things combined will result in cellulite reduction.  There are no miracle creams or secrets.  Itís all about good old fashioned working out.  Having said that, workout smarter and not harder!  Get on a great program that is tailored to your body and your goals.  Everyone is different, but following these 5 tips practically guarantees your cellulite will vanish.

Read More