Fashion Mystery

7 Tips for Fitness Women

Would you like to be a fitness woman? Or are you a fitness woman but would like to be effective? Here are 7 great tips on how to become an effective fitness woman:

1. Get a program that will best suit you. Every fitness woman is different. You may have surgical history where a program may not be suited for you. Always consult a qualified trainer to make sure that the fitness program will not hurt you. If the fitness program is not for you, it will only be a cause of frustration and injuries.

2. Set realistic targets. Wouldn't you be frustrated if you set your mind into reshaping your body in month? Make sure that the body you prefer in a period of time is achievable and realistic. The program should also be practical and will not give you false hopes. It is important to be aware of the blocks you encounter in your daily living. This will help you know what program is satisfactory. And once a program has been reached, then you can set goals and timelines that are realistic.

3. Exercises should work on the parts of your body where muscles are. The reason mainly is, when you develop muscles, you burn more calories and then you lessen the fats in your body. Multi-joint exercises and weight lifting are recommended. Learn what exercises work on certain parts of your body. Multi-joint exercises are also said to be effective but time saving.

4. Be systematic on working on your muscles. Your muscles should be working harder over time. Repeating the same sets of exercises and same weight without getting your muscles to work harder will not give satisfactory results. You can record your daily results and make the progression based on your previous data. A daily log will also motivate you since you are able to track how far you have gone. It builds confidence since there is a written proof something that was successfully accomplished.

5. Perform a set of exercises in 10 repetitions. Every number that was accomplished is called a repetition. Try to make every repetition with less momentum as much as possible. The lesser the momentum, the harder your muscles work. And the harder they work, the bigger they become. To check if there is much momentum when lifting, see if the arm is floating. If the arm does float, then there is much momentum.

6. Be flexible and perform a variety of exercises. Every exercise program should have a variety. You can change your exercises, goals and sets every month to keep you motivated and on the go. Doing this will help you prevent being bored and losing energy physically and mentally.

7. Be Motivated! The best way to keep the energy levels of trainees is to allow a healthy competition and allow them to have a sense of control. Having control is having the sense ownership where everybody gets a part in implementing a program. To do this you also need to be consistent in demonstrating your skills.

Not all programs work for all types of people. There is no workout that is best for everyone. But you learn from experienced people. Learn to acknowledge blocks and demonstrate self-discipline, keep yourself motivated and work harder everyday and add variety. Doing these things, you will discover that a lot of programs will work for you.

8 Popular Perfume Choices For Women

If you like to smell good, and who doesn’t, then finding the right perfume is at the top of your list. The shopping process may include sampling tester bottles at the store or simply by the old trial-and-error method. In an attempt to make your perfume shopping a little easier, this article takes a look at eight of the top perfume choices for women.

Cotton Candy by Body Fantasies. Do you remember the days of visiting the local fair and the smell of the delicious cotton candy? There is a fragrance that can help to revisit those special memories because, you guessed it, Cotton Candy by Body Fantasies is a perfume that smells exactly like cotton candy. In one word, it’s just plain yummy

Cashmere Mist by Donna Karen. This perfume, commonly found at Macy’s, is one that offers a sweet scent that is the ultimate in femininity. It almost lends to a soft floral smell and will captivate everyone in the room.

Eternity by Calvin Klein. This is a bold fragrance that leaves people thinking of you for, just as the name implies, an eternity.

CK One by Calvin Klein. This perfume has been available for quite some time and leaves the wearer with a clean scent that is unmistakable to those who recognize it. It’s smell is so memorable that those who experience it will notice it instantly on someone else.

Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. This perfume offers a very pleasing scent and a very sweet one at the same time. Like other designer perfumes, it is bold and will definitely get you noticed.

Navy by Cover Girl. A perfume that has been available for many years, Navy is visually recognizable by the round blue bottle and gold lettering. It’s smell is soft, but so very memorable at the same time.

Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren. This perfume, created by a popular clothing designer, is fruity in it’s smell and stays with the wearer for hours. It is a quality fragrance for the athletic type or for the home body as it’s universal scent is for every woman.

Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden. This perfume is fairly new on the market and has been made available in recent years. Still yet, it has steadily gained in popularity and offers the wearer a very sweet scent that softens just enough to be enjoyed.

When selecting perfume, it’s a good idea to purchase a small bottle so that you can take it with you wherever you go. Some of the smallest perfume bottles will fit in the tiniest of purses, which makes them ideal for a quick sprits on the go.

Brittle Nails - Easy To Break

Nails define your hand in many ways. The shape and the look of nails make your hand look good. By using a good nail polish it can make your hands look better. But if nails are bad then no matter how much you cover it up it will not work. Brittle nails are one of the problems with your nails. These nails happen to be so weak that they break, spilt or tear very easily. It is the dryness in the nails which reaches to such an extent that they tend to break without much hassle. Brittle nails are a common problem faced by many women.

Some of the causes for brittle nails is due to excessive contact with water, detergent, drying out of nails due to overheating in your own house, constantly falling ill and increasing use of nail polish remover. When it comes in contact with chemicals present in detergent or cleansers it makes the nails very weak. Your nails are also affected due iron deficiency. When you go for swimming the chlorine water does not work in your favor. You also lack essential calcium and fatty acids which makes your nail strong and less brittle. Low levels of zinc, iron and also thyroid problems may lead to brittle nails.

Some of the things which you can do to avoid brittleness of your nails

* Massaging your nails with castor oil frequently as this would keep your nails fit and fine

* Whenever in contact with chemicals wear cotton gloves and on top of the rubber gloves as it would protect your nails from getting wet either by sweat or water

* Involving food like salmon, tuna, shrimp, trout, milk in your diet improves your nails life

* Intake of herbs and vitamins as consulted by doctor should be taken

* Keep your nails short if you know they are brittle

Bridal Gowns – How To Find The Perfect Wedding Dress

Style, colour and ceremonial importance of the bridal gown worn by the bride during the wedding ceremony depends upon the culture and religion of the couple getting married.

White is the preferred color of the bridal gown among the westerners. Creamy shades such as ivory, ecru and eggshell are also used in making bridal gowns. Queen Victoria of England, wore a white bridal gown when she got married to Albert of Sax-Coburg in the year 1840. Since then the white bridal gown became the norm in all marriages. In the earlier years, bridal gowns were made in any colour except black. Innocence of the childhood and purity of heart was symbolized by the white bridal gown.

A bride to be can spend weeks and sometimes even months looking for a perfect bridal gown because of the variety of designs and styles available. Determine three things – theme of the wedding, time of the year the wedding is held and the budget – with these three things finalized, picking up the correct gown will become easier.

Choose a gown style depending upon the style and formality of the wedding function. In a formal wedding it is better to wear a formal bridal gown. Besides a white bridal gown, another appropriate choice is ivory which is also considered as a formal wedding gown. Bridal gowns in pink, peach and ice blue are also becoming very popular.

The average retail cost of a bridal gown is around $700. Prices of designer and premium gowns start from $2000.

Maggie Sottero, Mon Cheri, Marisa, Pronovias, Mori Lee, Davinci, Demetrios, Bonny, Eden Bridals and Mikaela are some of the popular designer bridal gowns.

When selecting the bridal gown, take someone close to you and who knows what is best for you. This will help in getting a gown which is not radically different from the usual style suitable for you.

It is better to ensure the bridal gown is comfortable and it is not restricting your movement. Getting a bridal gown can be a demanding process so initiate the process well in advance. Compare the designs from various fashion magazines and also go through family photo albums to know which will be the most suitable style.

Prior to committing yourself on a particular design, try different types and designs. If the bridal gown is custom made, allot six months for the making of the gown. Too many friends accompanying you during the shopping for gowns will only confuse you and you may end up making an incorrect selection.

Choosing The Right Shampoo For Your Hair Type

There are hundreds of shampoo's out there, from the Suave you can purchase at the local pharmacy to designer shampoo's like Kerastas and Philip B. that can only be purchased from speciality salons and stores. How do you choose?

First, know your hair type. It's fairly easy to know what type of shampoo your hair needs if it's permed or colored. If your hair is permed then most likely you're seeing a stylist on a regular basis and he or she has suggested a product for you. If your hair is colored you will want a shampoo that will be gentle on the color and not strip it from your hair. Is your hair dry? Oily? Thin or full and coarse?

What affect do you want the shampoo to have on your hair? Be aware of claims made by shampoo manufacturers. The only thing regulated by the Food & Drug Administration is the list of ingredients on the back of the shampoo bottle. This means that manufacturers can claim their shampoos moisturize or add volume whether or not they do.

Herbs and botanicals smell great, but their affect on the hair has never been proven. Actually most shampoos and conditioners affect your hair only temporarily by leaving product behind on your hair after you wash. They have no long term effect on the condition of your hair at all.

Don't believe that you have to use one manufacturers entire hair product line. It's the same for skin care products. All shampoos clean the hair. All soaps clean the face. All conditioners leave a trace of product on your hair which help keep the cuticle smooth. All moisturizes soften and moisturize the skin. It doesn't matter if you mix and match products, despite what they say.

Colour & Cosmetics

Many people avoid artificial colours in their foods, but don't check out the colours in cosmetics and personal care products. It is only in recent years that cosmetics have started to carry a full list of ingredients on their packaging.

Making sense of the ingredients can be difficult for the lay person. This is particularly true for colourings, which often go under the guise of numbers rather than names.

In many countries colours in cosmetics are listed as colour index numbers. C.I. numbers are allocated by the Society of Dyers and Colourists. The scheme covers colours used in food, personal care products, cosmetics, household products and fabric dyeing. So, for example you will not normally see ‘tartrazine’ listed in your lipstick ingredients, but it may be there listed as C.I. 19140. Erythrosine will be listed as C.I. 45430, and so on.

The USA uses a different system: the FD & C colors have been categorised by the American Food & Drink Administration for use in foods, drugs and cosmetics. So in this system tartrazine is FD & C yellow 5, and amaranth is FD & C red 2.

The ‘E Number’ system is used by the European Community (EC). This is a system of giving code numbers to food additives, some of which are also used in cosmetics and personal care products. This system is also used in some other countries but without the E prefix, so E102 becomes simply colour ‘102’.

All this confusion for the average consumer would not be important, but for the fact that some of these colours are known to cause problems in susceptible individuals. For example, tartrazine (also known as FD & C Yellow 5, CI 1914 and EI02) can cause migraines, itching, rhinitis and agitation in susceptible individuals. Many individuals avoid its use in food, but do not realise how extensively it is used in cosmetics, such as lipstick, and personal care products.

The big worries in terms of colours in cosmetics and personal care products are lipstick, coloured lip balms, lip gloss and lip pencils, because anyone who uses these regularly ‘eats’ a fair quantity over their life time, but these colours also appear in skin cream, foundation, mascara and so on too. (Remember also that these colours can also be in 'natural' cosmetics and skin care products.)

Another worry is that even the 'experts' cannot agree on an international 'safe' list of colours, so that a colour may be allowed in one country, but banned elsewhere. For example, quinoline yellow is allowed within the European Community and in some other countries, but is banned in Japan, Norway and the United States.

As ever, the advice is: keep yourself informed and read the label. Here is a list of the different names and numbers that common colourings go under:

Tartrazine: E102 or FD & C Yellow 5 or C.I. 19140
Quinoline yellow or E104 or C.I. 47005
Sunset yellow or E110 or FD & C Yellow 6 or C.I. 15985
Amaranth or E123 or FD & C Red 2 or C.I. 16185
Ponceau 4R or E124 or C.I. 16255
Erythrosine or E127 or FD & C Red 3 or C.I. 45430
Red 2G or E128 or C.I. 18050
Allura red AC or E129 or FD & C Red 40 or C.I. 16035
Patent blue V or E131 or C.I. 42051
Indigo carmine or E132 or FD & C Blue 2 or C.I. 73015
Brilliant blue FCF or FD & C Blue 1 or C.I. 42090
Fast green FCF or FD & C Green 3 or C.I. 42053
Green S or E142 or C.I. 44090

Female Bodybuilding

Many people have the misconception that all female bodybuilders are muscle bound, steroid popping Amazons, who look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

There are certainly a small handful of women who will fit into this category and they compete in the elite championships such as the Ms Olympia, however the vast majority of women who are involved in bodybuilding are using it purely for toning the body and for fitness.

Female bodybuilding is an excellent sport for young women to strengthen their muscles, burn fat, and lift their overall fitness levels so they can compete at a higher level in other sports.

By lifting weights women can actually lose body fat, as the muscle they are building needs energy, and this is derived from using the energy that is stored in their body fat.

The average female bodybuilder is unlikely to build enormous muscles without the aid of special supplements or steroids.

This is due to the fact that women have a low level of testosterone in their body and it is testosterone that is needed to build the muscle that men can so readily gain.

Along with improved muscle tone, weight lifting also aids in the strength of the heart and the bones. This is particularly important because many women suffer from degeneration of their bones in later years.

Specific exercises for abdominal development will also help with the strength and support of the back and this can be very beneficial for women who are considering having a baby.

As you can see, there are many different areas where women can benefit from bodybuilding, and specifically weight training, without the concern of looking like an Amazon at the end of their training.

Most professional sports these days have weight lifting as part of their training routine and this also applies to female sports.

A female bodybuilder will have a higher level of fitness and a lower level of bodyfat than the average women.