Beauty | Health, Fitness And Diets

DOS AND DON’TS OF HEALTHIER SKIN

Your skin plays a major role in protecting the rest of your body — but how well do you look after it? Find out some of the best ways to protect one of your body’s most important assets. Did you know that your skin is actually an organ? In fact, it’s your body’s largest organ by size. Skin helps hold in fluid, keeps out harmful microbes, and helps us regulate our body temperature. For such an important part of our body, it can be surprising how little attention it’s given. Besides minimizing sun damage and protecting it from dryness, there are a lot of other easy things we can do to keep our skin at its healthiest. The following are a few simple steps you can take to ensure that your all-important barrier against the world stays glowing, radiant and — most important — healthy. 1. Use sun protection With everything... Read more »

EASY AND FUN WAYS TO ADD INTENSITY TO YOUR WORKOUTS

It’s hard to argue with the facts: We don’t have to work out for longer to get more results. Science is telling us that smaller bursts of high-intensity training will have greater effects on our bodies faster than lengthy traditional training methods. It’s hard to argue with the facts: We don’t have to work out for longer to get more results. Science is telling us that smaller bursts of high-intensity training will have greater effects on our bodies faster than lengthy traditional training methods. What are ways we can add intensity to a workout to make it more effective? Grab a Partner A quick and easy way to make any workout harder is to have someone else there to push you. Hire a trainer, join a group exercise class, find a workout buddy, join a fitness challenge, meet someone new at the gym, work out when your “crush” is at the... Read more »

YOGA POSES FOR DETOXING, ENERGY AND STRESS REDUCTION The Ultimate Yoga Guide: Which Type of Yoga Is Right for You?

If you love yoga, then you’ll love these yoga poses for detoxing, energy and stress reduction. If you love yoga, then you’ll love these yoga poses for detoxing, energy and stress reduction. A few weeks ago I met a spirited and enlightened gal who is a yoga teacher, founder of Yogashero.com, and designer of a luxury yoga carryall bag, Dena Dodd Perry. Dena is a total Balanced Babe in the sense that she embraces a holistic lifestyle, is a determined entrepreneur (with a lot of amazing ideas and drive), a proud mom, wife and Christian, and encompasses a yoga-centric lifestyle that I absolutely love. I also got to wear Dena’s carryall bag for a project she is working on and I absolutely loved the feeling of the vegan suede and all the different compartments in there for organization. It’s really the perfect type of bag for someone that practices yoga daily in between... Read more »

Are you ready to join the ranks of the sober-curious?

Going sober took Catherine Gray from waking up in a Brixton police cell to saving £23k in four yearsCREDIT: ANDREW CROWLEY Idid Dry January once, five years ago. I lasted four days, before finding myself deep-diving into a bottle-and-a-half of wine. So, if you’ve slumped off the wagon already, I get it. If you had no desire to hop on the godforsaken wagon in the first place, I understand that too. Having worked on magazines such as Glamour and Cosmopolitan in my twenties, during which I drank the opening-of-an-envelope dry if the booze was free, my intake had ticked up and up. I could have drunk anyone under the table; you wouldn’t have stood a chance. I was a seven-or-eight-bottles-of-wine -a-week kinda gal. I once fell asleep while talking to my boss at the Christmas party. There was the time my boyfriend found me unconscious on our doorstep at 1am, having lost my keys. Or the time... Read more »

Climbing and mountain biking are in, spas and sauvignon are out… the New Girls’ Weekend

Forget hotels, shopping and cocktails: enjoy the bonding that comes with shared adventure, writes Cathy Bussey CREDIT: HERO IMAGES/ GETTY IMAGES Iam standing on an inflatable paddleboard in the middle of a lake. The water is calm, the surface mirror-like and my paddle makes barely any sound as it propels me forwards. Clouds are rolling down from the surrounding hills, lit by the golden glow of the recent sunrise, and in the distance three ducks take flight, skimming across the surface of the water. It’s freezing cold at 7am on a Sunday, in the middle of a lake in Wales. But I’m not chilly. My wetsuit keeps me insulated from the morning breeze, and adrenalin warms me from the inside. This alone was worth the five-hour drive from London to the Pant-yr-Onnen campsite in Bala, Snowdonia. My friend Debbie Burton and I are on a girls’ weekend, but there isn’t a spa hotel or... Read more »

Healthy Edible Gifts

‘Tis the season of gift-giving, and one of the best ways to show you care is homemade gifts. A sweet jar of homemade jam, a supply of quick pickles or even some creamy, dreamy homemade nut butter all make great gifts. The following festive snacks are pretty delicious gifts, too. Coconut Popcorn Ingredients 1 cup unpopped corn kernels 5 tablespoons coconut oil, divided 8 ounces coconut butter Fine-grain sea salt, to taste Directions In a large pot with a lid, set over medium-high heat, combine 1 tablespoon of coconut oil with a few corn kernels. When the kernels start to pop, add the rest of the kernels, cover tightly with a pot lid, and shake the pan until the remaining kernels pop. Keep the popcorn moving to prevent burning. In a separate small saucepan, warm the coconut butter and remaining 4 tablespoons of coconut oil. Stir until smooth and viscous — you want the mixture to pour... Read more »

Why It’s Important to Stop Drinking Shots of ACV

There’s a lot to love about apple cider vinegar. Several studies support the claims that ACV helps the body lose weight and debloat. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s been shown to up energy levels either. And did we mention you can use it to wash your hair?! Before you start guzzling the bottle of ACV in your pantry, keep in mind that there’s a right and a wrong way to drink the elixir. First things first: while straight shots are a popular way to drink ACV — don’t. Because it’s highly acidic, over time ACV has the potential to do real damage to both the esophagus and tooth enamel. Instead, dilute ACV with water. In general, one to two tablespoons mixed into eight ounces of water is the sweet spot (like you’ll find in this delicious ACV honey drink). Now that you have the formula down, you need to know exactly when to drink it... Read more »

Raspberry-Raspberry Shortcakes

Serves 6 For the shortcakes: 1 1/2cups all-purpose flour 1/2old-fashioned oats 5tablespoons sugar, divided 1/2teaspoon salt 1tablespoon baking powder 8tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/2cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing. 1large egg 4 to 6ounces fresh raspberries Turbinado or raw sugar, for sprinkling Heat the oven to 375° F and line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter cubes, toss to coat them in the flour, and then, working quickly, squash each one into a flat sheet, tossing with the flour as you go so as to keep all butter pieces protected from the heat of your hands. You’re looking for a mixture that resembles a very coarse cornmeal. Use a spoon to stir in the cream and egg until combined. Set your mixture in... Read more »

The Fitbit Blaze Is On Sale For Its Lowest Price Ever

Looking to buy a Fitbit Blaze? If so, you need to head to AT&Timmediately and purchase one for just $100. This is by far the lowest price the Blaze has ever been. For comparison, the Amazon Prime Day price was $140, and that was considered a great deal. At $100, this is a steal. The Fitbit Blaze packs the best features from both a fitness tracker and a smartwatch into a sleek package. It tracks your heart rate, automatically kicks into activity mode to track your workouts, and boasts internal GPS so runners can easily keep tabs on their mileage. It also provides on-screen workouts to do at home or in the gym, helps you set workout goals, showing your progress on-screen with each exercise, and calculates your cardio fitness level. Outside of workout tracking, it also reminds you to move throughout the day, tracks your sleep, and now comes with... Read more »

Kittencal’s Buttery Cut-Out Sugar Cookies W/ Icing That Hardens

Ingredients SERVINGS 35-40 UNITS US COOKIES 1cup butter, softened (no substitutes) 1cup sugar 2eggs 1⁄2teaspoon vanilla 1⁄2teaspoon almond extract 3 1⁄4cups all-purpose flour 1⁄2teaspoon baking soda 1⁄2teaspoon baking powder 1⁄2teaspoon salt FROSTING 2cups sifted confectioners’ sugar(the sugar must be sifted) 1tablespoon milk (adding in more if needed for proper spreading consistency) 1tablespoon light corn syrup 1⁄4teaspoon almond extract (can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in place of the almond) food coloring (use your choice of colours) Directions For cookies; in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. Set oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use... Read more »