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nice experience to spend an outdoor activity

September 17, 2011

For two consecutive Fridays now, hubby and I tag along the family of his aunt on going to church and doing shopping. Other than my brother-in-law, they are the closest family we have here in UAE. We can’t spend much of our time with brother-in-law because he likes to be left alone with his friends. Lucky for us they welcome us warmly and generously in their family.

Yesterday, his aunt asked us to go on a trip with them. Of course, I can’t say no because in two weeks of staying here I’ve never been able to go anywhere other than job interviews. I’m pretty sure it would be a nice experience to spend an outdoor activity with the rest of the family. Oh well, I’m not sure how to return all the good deeds and generosity they showed us.

I thought about giving the family a gift once I landed a job. I’m not so sure what it is so I searched the web. Good thing, I came across the thule bike racks at cracksandracks.com. Their car can use this kind of accessory since they love to spend outdoor activities with their kids. Having a rack will help them bring along bikes. Well, I guess it’s settled then. All I have to do now is find a job as soon as possible.

Filed Under: family & home, relaxation activities

Exercise for Leaner/Slimmer Legs

April 30, 2011

Lots of women are reluctant to perform leg-strength-training exercises. A common fear is that heavy weights will result in a larger pair of hips and thighs. However, research found that women can develop lean, shapely legs without lifting heavy weights. That lean muscle mass can be enhanced through simple movements utilizing only your body weight.

Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Take a large step forward with your right foot. Hold that position as you bend your left knee towards the ground until your right knee forms a 90-degree angle. Hold this position for a second and then return to the starting upright position. Repeat this movement on the opposite side by stepping forward with the left foot. Continue to alternate between legs for 60 seconds.

You can also position yourself in front of a platform or sturdy bench. Place your entire right foot on top of the platform. Exhale and drive your right heel into the platform as you step up with your left foot. Raise your left knee toward your chest then return your left foot to the floor. Repeat for a total of 10 repetitions. Reverse your foot positioning to perform this movement on the opposite side.

Filed Under: health first, lifeStyle, recreation, relaxation activities

Getting Sexy Bikini Body in 10 Days

April 25, 2011

Days 1, 3, 5 and 8

Aerobic exercise such as running, swimming or power walking, raises the metabolism both during and after the activity, making it less likely that calories will be stored around the abdominal area, or anywhere else, as fat.

On days 1, 3, 5, 8, aim to walk, jog, cycle or do an exercise DVD for at least 20 minutes a day. Try to work hard so that you are fairly breathless when you stop. And if you can do that every other day, even better.

Days 2, 6 and 9

Stomach – Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Press your lower back into the floor, tightening your stomach muscles as you put both hands behind your head (don’t pull on your head). Bring your right elbow over to your left knee, and then bring your left elbow over to your right knee, raising your feet slightly and moving your legs in a pedal motion. Breathe normally and keep your knees bent. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.

Bottom – On your hands and knees, contract your abdominal to stabilize your torso, lift one leg up, keeping the knee bent at a 90′ angle, until the flat of the foot is parallel with the ceiling and the leg is lined up with the body. Lower slightly and repeat 10-15 times. Add an ankle weight to make the exercise more challenging and if you can balance, stretch out the opposite arm.

Days 4, 7 and 10 [Read more...]

Filed Under: leisure tips, lifeStyle, recreation, relaxation activities

Walking & Kayaking Considered Full-Body Workouts?

April 5, 2011

Neither walking nor kayaking may appear to give you a full-body workout, but both can. Full-body workouts are those that use all major muscle groups, which walking can do with conscious arm movements and kayaking can do without you even realizing it as you paddle through the water.

Walking gives your legs, butt and lower body a workout while providing a weight-bearing exercise that automatically strengthens your skeletal and muscular system. Walking works your arms to a slight degree when you swing them while striding, and you can intentionally enhance your upper body workout even further. Clenching your hands into fists while walking contracts your arm muscles and slightly increases the calorie burn. Other arm movements while walking that enhance your upper body workout include rotating them in circles, making rowing motions and mimicking the chest press and lateral press you would do with weights.

While, kayaking works your arms, shoulders, upper body and core muscles and gives your legs a workout. Although kayaking does not incorporate your legs into their full range of movement, it strengthens them when you apply pressure and rotate your torso to power the kayak. [Read more...]

Filed Under: lifeStyle, recreation, relaxation activities

Finding your Inner Peace

March 12, 2011

The best way to avoid stress is making sure you get plenty of rest. If you are suffering, financial situations there are solutions to the problem. I realize there are people out there that suffering financial difficulties and cannot work, still, you can survive. If you know the Internet, there are programs that you can sign up free and additional programs that offer free websites and free advertising. Make money! Freelance writer’s jobs are available online as well; research. Thus, I bring this out in the article, since when a person suffers financial burden and mental or physical anguish combined; they often find it difficult to find inner peace.

Take the obstacles out of your way by finding a job that you can do without causing your health problems by adding stress. Obstacles are big if you continue to create mountains. One of the best ways to move stress and save your mental status is exercising daily. Go for a walk, ride your bike around the block. Thus, taking care of you will lead to inner peace.

Stress deteriorates health and a person’s well-being. Stress is emotional, psychological, and physical change, which means a person who is stressing, may be sustaining mental conflicts that are not surfacing. It is time to sit down and evaluate your mind, while searching for the answers that fill your soul.

Look at your situation and see if you can find a solution to reach your inner peace. See if you can locate the problem and alleviate it. In other words, evaluate your situation and find a solution to the issues that are causing you problems. The action is self-analyzing, self-talk strategies that prove to work wonders. [Read more...]

Filed Under: family & home, health first, relaxation activities

Ways How to Handle Stress

March 4, 2011

You don’t have to go into a dark room and meditate for an hour, or drop everything and run off to a tropical island, to relieve the tensions of your daily life. In fact, there are things you can do at any time, no matter where you happen to be, that can give you instant stress relief.

Slowly Count To Ten – Yes, some problems can be stressful. But how you deal with stress is the key. If you immediately get worked up over every problem or challenge that pops up in your life, you’re going to spend a lot of time feeling tense and anxious. But, if you can stay relatively calm and in control, stress won’t be as much of an issue for you.

When something bad or unpleasant happens in your life, don’t react immediately. Instead, take a moment and slowly count to ten. As you count, rate the stressor on a scale of one to ten.

Your boss yelled at you? On the scale of bad things that can happen on any given day, that’s about a two.

You lost your keys? That’s about a four. Not an ideal situation, but one you can handle. Counting to ten gives you time to really evaluate the stressful situation. Once you put things in perspective, you might find it’s not worth stressing over.

Take Some Deep Breaths - In a way, stress is a fear response. One thing that happens when you are afraid or in danger is your breathing becomes quick and shallow. And the same thing can happen when you’re anxious about a busy day, or nervous about giving a speech. And this impaired breathing can actually make your stress and anxiety even worse. [Read more...]

Filed Under: health first, recreation, relaxation activities

Planning your Next Spa Vacation

February 26, 2011

When you are considering a relaxing vacation, the possibilities are endless. You may opt to go on a cruise across the ocean or to a hideaway on the beach. One of the latest trends in vacationing is a resort spa, and it is worth knowing the facts if you are considering a vacation such as this. They offer an assortment of amenities such as yoga and relaxation opportunities, fitness equipment and classes, and a variety of spa treatments.

Before rushing into reservations, there are a few things you should understand. First of all, you need to know some spa lingo. There are differences between a resort spa and a destination spa, although their names lead you to believe they are similar.

Destination spas offer a whole package deal. One price usually includes healthy meals, yoga and fitness classes, access to fitness equipment and pools, and some basic spa treatments. They are wonderful choices if you want to surround yourself with like-minded people and immerse yourself in that lifestyle.

Resort spas, on the other hand, do not typically offer the same type of packages. Most of the time, you will have to purchase each treatment separately. You will have to pay for yoga and other fitness classes, and meals also have to be bought separately. A resort spa is perfect for the couple who wants to go together but do their own things once they are there because each is allowed to select only the amenities that suit them. He can hit the fitness equipment in the gym while she enjoys a relaxing massage. [Read more...]

Filed Under: recreation, relaxation activities, travel escapade, travel tips

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