Bye-Bye Cellulite!

Source: Flickr.com By Geomangio

Cellulite is our target. Everyone has or gets them, even the skinny and the fit, may it be mild or severe. Cellulite is what we call dimples made by accumulated fat just under the skin.  Now that you have some insight of what they are, you might have an idea of how to get rid of them.

• Lets start by saying water is always the key to everything. So drink plenty of water, or your 32 ounces per day.
• Massage the affected area, where dimples are visible, massage with fingers in a circular motion.
• Exercise three to four times a week for at least 30 minutes. Since we're dealing with fat, it might be common sense that burning it will help.
• Reduce your "fat" intake. Obviously, eating healthier.  Figure out your serving per day in vegetables, fruits, water etc,. Get a little help by your instincts when you eat. "Juicy fried chicken or that grilled chicken? ", " I want fried chicken, so I might balance it with vegetables and water or natural juice". ( Once in a while is not so bad to give in to your craving).

Based on Dawn Gallagher, author of Nature's Beauty Secrets, anything that helps "boost circulation" will help with cellulite appearance. Below are some of her treatments.

For five minutes a day,  use a sisal mitt, soft body brush, or massage glove to brush cellulite, using long, sweeping movements. Work in the direction of the heart. (Gallagher 102)

Scrubbing with natural ingredients has its benefit depending on the ingredients. In this case we have:

Source: Flickr.com By Oberazzi

CELLULITE SIMPLE SCRUB 

...cellulite-busting scrub by one part olive oil to two parts coffee grounds. Olive oil moisturizes, while caffeine boosts circulation. Massage into skin with a handheld mitt or washcloth and rinse off. (Gallagher 90)

Beauty only requires one thing - to take care of oneself. Most of the tips always say drink water, eat healthy, exercise, pamper yourself (massages), relax, etc,..., now, if were caring for our selves doesn't this come automatically? As I see it, if there's a "defect", something we do not like, we're missing one of those things. It takes time to get it right and to fix it; Being persistent is the key, it is always an ongoing process.

Thanks again for stopping by, and for the comments which are greatly appreciated. Feel free to share this blog as long as you share the link and give credit to Stracci.

Sources:

Gallagher, Dawn. Nature's Beauty Secrets. New York, New York: Universe Publishing, 2011.

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Must Know Tips About Weight Lose

Source: Flickr.com by UNE photos

Why do we lose weight fast and then it slows down?

The more you have to lose the faster those unnecessary pounds come off.  Personal trainer, Chris simplifies it by saying its like getting water out of a big container with a bucket, the majority will come out easily, but when you get to the bottom the water it's just so difficult. You body wants and needs to get rid of that weight. In addition, if you have never worked out your body will go into shock, causing the same effect.

The ability to lose weight has a lot to do with age and genes. After a certain age around 30 for girls, is extremely difficult  to lose the “pouch” and get into the model body, but not impossible. It means you have to be dedicated, actually workout, and really stick to a healthy diet. Diet that suits your life style and health.

Some people’s genes come from heavy parents, and although they can lose weight to a healthy weight you will not see them wearing a string bikini or will you? Don't give up. If you stopped losing weight or have slowed down, while exercising appropriately, remember slow and steady its good. You are closer to your goal.

Remember no pills, no starvation diets. There are exceptions for everything, in this case pills are taken for people who strictly need to lose weight due to endangered health and even for life threatening cases. In these cases pills are used to get a head start and maintaining to lose weight by dieting and exercising. Otherwise, pills can make you lose weight fast but as fast as you are losing it you might gain back.

Be stress-free, be happy, be active and overall love yourself, since this is going to help you make the right decisions for your body.

Fun Tips For A Sexy Waist

Source: Flickr.com By iujaziu

How to get a  sexy waist? and have fun at the same time. Well, a lot of people incline to Zumba, yes that's one  way to go, for a fun calorie-burning activity, and depending on your instructor you might get a total body work out. Sad to announce that you can not just stay in Zumba and any other cardiovascular activity because it eventually stops working for your body, also known as Plateau. But this is not about Zumba, this is about something similar that has been around for centuries, SALSA!!!

Not only salsa but Latin dances such as Merengue, Cumbia, Punta, and Zamba are great, fun, calorie burning, and muscle sculpting dances. All these dances workout your obliques, and your body does not get used to them therefore, it does not stop working. For example, sits ups,  you can increase the number of sit ups and your body gets stronger; maintain the same number of sit ups and your body maintains its shape and strength. Don't we all want to go out and dance? or just have fun? and feel even better when we realize we're working out!!. We are burning calories, we are working our leg muscles, obliques, working on our posture.

Merengue, Cumbia and Salsa are slightly different from each other, on the steps and rhythm. The main idea of Salsa is to move our hips; Imagine making a figure eight with your hips, or making a circle to one side and then the other. Now, imagine that movement throughout, you can also add a side step, a front step, back step so on and so forth. Merengue is also a leg workout, I can not describe the steps because it would probably take me the entire day. With Cumbia, you travel a bit, from one side to the other. Aren't these supposed to be with a partner? Yes, but you don't have to. Either way you are still having fun and getting that small waist you desire.

Punta from Central America and Zamba from Brazil, are both extra quick. The music guides you through the rhythm with the drums, making it a bit easier. Punta is translated to point its dance with the first third of your feet-meaning the ball of your foot on the side of the big toe. These two dances works out the calf muscle, thighs and waist, but you need to have endurance to last for an entire song. Zamba is as fast as Punta, if not faster. The difference is Zamba has actual steps and not just moving your feet from side to side on the ball of your foot.

Some warm up exercises to try before getting into the dances:

Figure eight with hips. Imagine your feet are two dots and you will circle around one and then the other, forming a figure 8.

Moving hips side to side. Only your hips nothing else.

Moving your hips around and turning simultaneously. One hip at a time.

You might feel how your obliques work doing these exercises.

I have concluded about this dance/workout through experience, after about two weeks of starting the fun. I must say this will not have the same benefits as a real total body workout. You will need to add some lower ab exercises for a total core workout, since it just workouts your obliques for that slim waist. I would do any of these 2-3 times a week for 3o-40 minutes including warming up and cooling plus the additional lower ab workouts.

So, Its time to look into these dance, download some music, have fun and get that slim waist you always wanted!!!

Upcoming Fashion

I've said this once and a billion times. You are you and you decide to wear what makes you, yourself. But you can always add to your styles with whats coming, starting this Fall up to next year.

• Plaid
• School girl styles are in!
• Squares and flowery prints are in!
• Pony tails and side braids
• Dark reds lipstick

Boys are going to LOVE the school girls style! Haven fun with the plaid and don't always settle with the common. Low pony tails can be worn like such, messy top iron straight the tail, sleek and tight top and messy tail and many more. Oh! the possibilities. Red is back! remember red lipstick and high heels? The twist is dark reds such as  burgundy and plums.

Chris' Workout Tip

A great burn doesn't necessarily mean a great workout. 

No pain no gain? Sometimes pain can mean that your body is not being treated right. As long as you are doing the workout you are supposed to, you are working out!  Overworking your muscles to achieve "the burn" can actually damage your muscles. So if your workout consists of 3 sets of 20,  that is exactly what you should do. Be safe and do not double your exercises if you don't feel THE BURN.

The Benefits Of Water

Picture provided by Flickr.com 

Doctors have said drink 8 glasses of water a day, but do people actually do this? Most people don't, I know I can't.  My average intake of water is around 4 glasses of water. Even if you can't or don't, water still has many benefits. Drinking water has been proven to help with weight lose. Water should be your best friend for the rest of your life especially, after hearing these tips. I am not a nutritionist, doctor or personal trainer, but with experiences, myths, word of mouth, and most importantly proven studies, I can pass this information along to you.

Jump start your metabolism by drinking 12-16oz of water first thing in the morning. Chris Baker, personal trainer, fitness instructor and martial artist,at Recreation Atl., describes the benefit of water speeds your metabolism and helps you burn calories throughout the day.Chris also recommends replacing caffeinated drinks with water. Word of mouth, by a member from the website cafemom.com, says you can see results as soon as one week.

Drinking a glass of water before a meal, I have not yet read any studies for this but if you have, feel free to share. This is based on word of mouth and experience. Based on my experience, water made me feel full resulting in less intake of food. Therefore achieving less calorie intake.

Of course, you can't rely solely on water to loose weight. We have to get motivated to workout at least 3 times a week, with a steady heart rate for 20 minutes. Now, please make sure you know at what rate your heart should be, before attempting this. Ask your doctor or personal trainer. After your workout, drink a room temperature glass of water to get hydrated, after all that's why we seek water the most.

Get your water bottles now and start getting in shape.