Archive for category: Healthy Living

Lots of us start a new health and fitness regime with good intentions but with daily life, such as work pressures, family obligations, and a busy social calendar, our vow to workout five days a week quickly falls by the wayside. While gym sessions, fitness classes, and running clubs are an excellent way to get yourself in shape, there are those of us that need, well, a little bit more motivation. We require someone that’s going to be in our corner no matter what and, unlike family and friends, feels comfortable pushing us past our comfort barrier to achieve results.

What was once a luxury only the rich and famous could afford, has become an everyday occurrence thanks to a variety of payment plans, session bundles, and individual programs. People are gradually cottoning on to what they spend on snacks, clothes and nights out can also be used to help improve their overall health and fitness. Personal trainers aren’t a new thing, in fact, athletes and sports stars have had access to a fitness coach for years, but for regular people, the novelty of a personal trainer means we’re hiring more of them than ever before. Ironically, thanks to technology the personal training of PT industry is performing better than ever. Fitness data is easier to access, interpret and share with the client while helping trainers pinpoint accurately what’s working well and what needs improving.

Studies have also shown that those who have access to a PT do better than those without but why is this? Firstly, trainers are personal and while they may have many clients on their books the time that they spend with you is solely focused on improving your fitness. Secondly, believe it or not, qualified personal trainers possess excellent communication skills, as well as an understanding of psychology that allows them to motivate, encourage and support clients. Lastly, they have a keen emotional awareness; trainers walk the line between pushing someone out of their comfort zone, and knowing when someone’s reached their limit. However, real results are often seen when both trainer and client work together having established a mutual respect and trust.

Perfect Match

Obviously, the best place to start is at your gym as most fitness centres have one, or more permanent personal trainers on staff at all times. Speak to them about your fitness goals; you’re not setting anything in stone here just having a friendly chat to see if you like them as a person. Don’t worry if you don’t get the right vibes, just move on until you find someone you click with. Why not speak to friends and family who already have trainers to see if they can recommend someone or check out fitness forums online where local trainers advertise. Arrange a consultation where you can find out more about their qualifications. This is absolutely vital as they’ll be the one in charge of your fitness program, and if they don’t know what they’re doing, they could seriously injure you!

20 Questions

Be honest about your current level of fitness while asking where they trained and how long they’ve been in the industry. Yes, they may have this information on their website, but it never hurts to have things explained in person. Try to find someone that has a national, or international accreditation as it often means that they’ve had more experience but understand that you’ll be paying a premium for that expertise. Look at what certificates they have, and if they’re up to date, an expired certificate or license is never good and make sure you check their workplace before you sign anything.

Look to speak to their manager or any previous clients to get a feel for how well they perform. Not all personal trainers are the same, depending on what fitness regime you seek some may decide you’re a better fit with a colleague, but don’t be afraid to give them a thorough grilling either. Experts suggest you ask questions about previous clients, their success rates, what their style is, how much their fees are and if they work just one-on-one or in small groups. The last thing you want to do is turn up to your first session, nervous as hell and be met with six other people.

Your trainer should have no issues with you watching a session either; it’s a great way to see how they work, interact with the client and what methods they use to reach the client’s potential. Avoid trainers who seem unusually vain, more into working out themselves, buying  

sports wear and showing off their Adidas originals shoes than putting clients through their paces. Another red flag is trainers who spend an inordinate amount of time chatting or who stop half way through the session. You need someone that’s going to be there alongside you every step of the way, not talking on their phone or drinking energy drinks every five minutes!

Get In Tune

Once you’ve found someone you can work with now’s the time to talk about your goals in more detail and why you want to get in shape. Don’t be afraid to share personal weight issues, a good trainer will have heard many of them before and will reassure you. While it’s important to establish a great working relationship, i.e. Doing the homework they set you, turning up on time and wearing the right gear for fitness it’s worth remembering that they aren’t your friend. It’s fine to be friendly, but at the end of the day you are a client, meetings should be kept professional and only when you wish to no longer employ them should you consider approaching them in a social capacity.

A good trainer will understand your limits, any health concerns, and will work with you to achieve your fitness goals and will take the time to learn from you as well as leading the session. If something’s not working for you or you feel like a certain exercise is too risky a professional will quickly, confidently and easily adapt the session and later discuss how to get the around the issue.

Helena Rubinstein once famously declared: “There are no ugly women, only lazy ones.” I’m definitely lazy.

I’ve been too lazy to look at myself in the mirror nowadays let alone go to facial appointments. The good news is, it’s better late than never and there are so many easy ways to look after your skin! If you are like me who’s decided to give home made facial mask a go, here are a collection of 12 easy DIY facial mask for healthy, glowing skin that you could try!

For dry skin:

• Avocado + Honey:

Mix half mashed avocado and 2 teaspoons of honey. Apply to face and leave for 10 minutes.

• Cucumber + Avocado:

Blend half cucumber and half avocado. Apply the mixture to clean face.

For oily skin:

• Apple:

Mash some apple and apply to face immediately.

• Organic yogurt + egg:

Mix 3 table spoons of yogurt and half egg well. Apply to face and leave for 20 minutes. Use once a week.

For dull skin (aka my skin type, mine is also dry)

• Plain yogurt

Got some left over yogurt? Apply it evenly on your face. Wash it off with warm water once the yogurt’s been absorbed.

• Potato + Milk + Flour

Mix the juice from 1 potato with 2 tea spoons of milk and some flour. preheat face with warm tower first then apply the facial mask. Wash it off until it’s 80% dry.

• Apple + Tomato

Blend half apple and half tomato. Apply the mix to clean face for 15 minutes. Really good for summer.

For skin soothing:

• Oatmeal + Honey

Mix oatmeal and honey (optional olive oil and coconut oil). Apply to face for 10 -15 minutes.

• Banana + Yogurt

Mix one mashed banana with yogurt. Banana: yogurt ratio = 2:1. Seal the mixture with cling wrap and leave it in the fridge for 15 minutes. Apply it to face.

Anti  – ageing

• Avocado + Banana + Egg

Blend half banana, one avocado and a whole egg with little water. Apply to clean face for 15 minutes.

• Brown Sugar + Water

Cook brown sugar in water, stir until water is boiling. Apply to face (avoid area around the eyes) evenly after the mixture is cooled. Leave for 15 minutes.

• Honey + Tomato

Blend one tomato, 5g of honey and some flour. Apply to face and leave for 20 – 30 minutes before going to bed.

Declutter, declutter, declutter. Spring is not here yet in Sydney but I’ve already started to do a little bit cleaning because there’s so much “stuff” accumulated over the years & they are taking extraordinarily amount of space. People say “A tidy desk speaks a happy mind.” Truth is, just a tidy dest is not enough. You’ll need a tidy home to stay happy. Most likely, you’ve already got everything you need at home but it’s easy to just keep buying. That’s my case anyway. I’m famous for buying something then never ever use it – typical “bought and forgot.” If you are like me, The next time before you buy any household items, ask yourself: “Will I take it with me if I move house?” Similarly, throw out things you don’t need any more. Right now.

Here’s a list of 101 things you could get rid of in your home, for a better life.

1. Expired credit cards/bank cards/medicare card
2. Old mobile phones
3. Old electronic appliances you don’t use any more.
4. Single socks, socks with holes in them
5. Earrings that lost the other one in the pair – don’t hope to find the other earring one day.
6. Old, shapeless underwear/bras
7. Old dirty pillows
8. Old bath towers
9. Old pillowcases
10. Worn out bed sheets
11. Dying plants
12. Dead flowers
13. Empty pots (either plant something in them or chuck them)
14. Those leftover wrapping paper and ribbons that you “might” use again one day
15. Useless postcards and greeting cards
16. Cheap hangers from dry cleaners
17. Old supermarket receipts
18. Old prescription glasses
19. Sunglasses you never wear
20. Ill fitted new clothes you”bought by mistake”
21. Old clothes that you haven’t even worn once in the last 2 years
22. Shirts with yellowish armpits
23. Shoes that hurt your feet
24. Old worn out shoes
25. Old computers
26. Scarves you never wear
27. Old toys
28. Old fruits/veggies   
29. Expired cooking sauce/ spicies
30. Out of date medicine
31. Expired gift vouchers
32. Old movie/ concert tickets
33. Cheap costume jewellery that you don’t wear (any more)
34. Kitchen utensils that you don’t use
35. Old CDs that you don’t listen to any more
36. Old DVDs with movies you don’t like
37. Unwanted gifts
38. Overflowing plastic bags that you are not going to use
39. Old makeup
40. Dried-up super glue
    

    Declutter – Things you could get rid of

41. Damaged suitcases
42. Old calendars
43. Pens run out of ink
44. Hotel toiletries from your last trip that you are never going to use again
45. Old non stick frying pan without “non stick” coating any moe
46. Plastic utensils you’ll never use
47. Excessive electric cables and adopters you don’t need
48. Empty plastic water bottles
49. Spare buttons for clothes you don’t have any more
50. Spare parts for furniture you don’t have any more
51. Users manual for electronic devices you don’t have any more
52. Packaging boxes for your furniture, shoes, electronic appliances etc
53. Older chargers for mobile phones, electronic appliances you don’t have any more
54. Excessive candles you are never going to use
55. Handbags you don’t wear any more
56. Out of date decorations
57. Excessive hats you’ll never wear
58. Old paperwork you don’t need any more
    

    Declutter – Things you could get rid of

59. Old textbooks that you’ll never go through again
60. Books you’ll never read (again)
61. Old magazines
62. Key rings you don’t use
63. Pretty old wrapping you’ve saved
64. Old keys that have been forgotten a long time ago
65. Old rusty tools
66. Dirty old cloth/dish washing cloth
67. Old perfume you don’t like
68. Last years’ sunscreen
69. Glasses/cups you never use
70. Hairbands that are not stretchy any more
71. Dusty takeout menus you never use
72. That bright purple eye shadow you “might” use one day
73. Belts don’t fit any more
74. Locks without matching keys
75. Old batteries
76. Posters you’ve never hang up on your wall
77. Puzzles you don’t play with any more
78. Business cards you’ll never need
79. Software you don’t use
80. Old tea towers
81. Damaged watch
82. Old wallet
83. Tablecloth you never use
84. Old alarm clock that you don’t use any more
85. Hair clips you never use
86. Old school uniform
87. Small changes from foreign countries that’ll be never useful to you again
88. Cook books you never use
89. Old kettle and toaster don’t work properly any more
90. A group of 90% empty toothpaste tubes
91. Old bowls and plates you don’t use any more
92. Old furniture you don’t need any more
93. Old notes that are no longer useful to you
94. Out-dated Clothes
95. Useless old emails
96. Low quality, useless photos
97. Shoelaces that you’ll never use
98. Samples you’ll never try
99. Jeans you don’t wear.
100. Scissors/ knives are no longer sharp
101. Someone doesn’t love you

Well done, you’ve got rid of all things you don’t need or want. Feeling better now?

Photos from Pinterest.

Playing darts is a fun way to spend time with your friends or family and get some excise, especially at night in Winter when it’s cold outside and there’s not much to do.

New dart players and beginners are often found getting confused about the best tool for their game given a great deal of equipment that is available in the darts online store to choose from. Like any other game, there is simply no dearth of the types of darts available to the market. Each type is differentiated from the other type by their design, weight, size and shape. So, now the question is how to start the search for the best fit of dart for you. Read on to find out some of the basic guidelines that will help you make the right choice.

A note to be mindful about before you begin

As what the usual case is, beginners end up changing their darts every week or way faster than how it should be. If you too resort to this habit, no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to become a better dart player. This is, however, not to stop you from exploring other styles and games. But explore till you find the best fit of dart style and then work upon it. Do not wander off this particular style while you are tempted to practise some more different games. And remember, how you throw the dart is more important than what you throw.

Know the barrel

In the entire dart’s body, the barrel (the tungsten, middle part of the dart) is the only part which is the most important. Why it is so much important is because it affects the throw most significantly. Actually, it is the part where the point of weight of the dart lies. You, however, can pick any dart from the massive range of weights available to the market. As a matter of fact, the standard weight of darts is 21-27 grams. But, if you wish to have darts a little heavier or lighter than the standard range, you can have without any problem. Most of the dart veterans believe that the beginners should start with the 24 grams mark (the average of the standard range) and then adjust from there gradually. And do not worry if you are not able to concur with any of the dart veterans’ styles or suggestions. It might be just that you would have different preference. Plus, there is another thing about barrel, which is grip. Even the grips are not spared from varieties which go from darts without a grip to darts with heavy knurling. As it is, the heavier the knurl, the easier would it be for the player to make a grip on the dart in question. But again, you can find some other knurl serving your purpose.

More about accessories including shafts and flights

Like barrel, the need for shafts and flights is equally felt. Shafts are the part above the barrel which are usually made of plastic or metal. Both of these accessories are economical and convenient to replace. So, do not worry about changing them. The thing with flights and shafts is that they can worn out very easily as soon as a dart hit another dart in the board or at the time of bouncing out or when the shaft bend or snap. That’s that! About shaft, it is only the length that needs to be considered. If you are the kind of player throwing darts with pace and power, then chances are that a shorter shaft can work for you. And a longer shaft can work for you if yours is a loftier, lighter throw. Besides, flights too follow the footsteps of shafts and barrels and are available in all shapes and sizes. Talk about the most common, it is the kite shape and the teardrop shape.

Are you ready? Let’s go play!