An interesting fact is that most of us take time out to get special spa treatments and half of us don’t know what the purpose of spa treatment is. It would be interesting to know how spas originated and became a symbol of luxury, relaxation and therapy. The history of spas is worth knowing.

The word spa is an abbreviation of “Salus per aquam” – a Latin word. In English it means “health from water” and its origin dates back to the time of the Roman Empire that too was in many ways influenced by the Greeks. The Romans created the concept of thermal baths and used them for relaxation and medical treatments. The spas later on gained therapeutic importance for the Romans – the idea that gave birth to the modern concept of spas.

Later on innovation and other requirements broadened the entire concept of spas. Today Spas are much more than just bathing; they are not only used for physical cleansing but also help to revitalize energy, release mental stress and in some cases they are used for spiritual cleansing as well. Who knew a simple bathing ritual would lead to such amazing results.

The Spa Experience

With their ever increasing popularity, spas became a business arena, which helped spas to evolve from mere baths to full-fledged luxurious spa resorts. Almost every holiday destination includes a top of the line spa facility in its travel brochure. And why not, the spa experience goes a long way in helping us deal with our everyday social and domestic stress. That’s the reason why most of us don’t think twice before spending some extra cash on the magical spa treatments.

Massage Therapies

Spas offer a number of services to the clients. However the massage therapies remain the most wanted ones. To offer extra special experience to the clients, almost all the spas have professional masseuses who are qualified to give you massages that will do wonders for your physical and mental relaxation. Most of the spas have their own customized and special massages that are unique in nature.

One of the most famous Massages is the Swedish massage. These are perhaps the most regular ones too. A Swedish massage is used to relax not only the body muscles but also to release the mental stress. The masseuse uses his/her hands and massage oil to rub the body in long strokes. A variation of the Swedish massage is the Hot Stone Massage. The word stone is used literally. The masseuse uses smooth stones of different sizes which are first sanitized and heated and then placed on the various parts of the body such as back, arms and legs.

Facials

No woman can deny the impact a good facial has on her overall appearance. Not only do they feel good but actually make the skin look fresh and younger. Seeing the advantages women were enjoying through facials, men also tried their hand at getting them. And today we can easily say that men and women both use facials, man perhaps still don’t discuss it at cocktail parties. That is why spas made facials an important part of their overall experience. The facials include exfoliation and toning using skin friendly branded and customized products. Most of the facials use non-chemical methods and products that suit the different skin types and tones.

Other Services Offered by Spas

Apart from soul calming massages and miraculous facials, spas are famous for providing pedicures and manicure, which are much more than the nail and cuticle cleansing. These pedicures and manicures also help to relax and release stress. Spas are also famous for different other customized treatments they provide.

Some of these treatment services are:

• Aromatherapy treatments
• Reflexology treatments
• Ayurvedic treatments
• Cosmetic treatments
• Sauna baths
• Personal trainers
• Herbal treatments
• Acupuncture

We all know that these amazing treatments and services don’t come cheap, spas know that too that is why some spas also provide special offers such as gift vouchers and special discount cards for special occasions such as bridal showers, birthdays, mother’s days etc.

Plastic Surgery Spas

These are the latest trends in spas. They provide the most modern and advanced skin treatments and care. All the experts at these spas are well trained and qualified to use medically certified treatments.

How to find a good spa?

With so many spas claiming to be the best, it becomes difficult to select the one that is actually the best. But thanks to the internet and some loyal friends, it’s now a lot easier to find the ideal spa for an ultimate spa experience. You can go online and look for the spa listings. Remember to always read the user reviews; they give you a fair idea of the quality of the spa you are going for. We all know spas can leave a dent in the pocket, so a good way to find the one that fits your budget is by comparing prices and rates. This will allow you to pick the one that does not let you worry about how much you spent on the spa experience. Also you can ask your friends about their spa experience, this will help you to shortlist a few names.

At the end of the day what really matters is how you feel when you leave a spa, if it made you feel what it promised then whatever you spent on it was definitely worth it.

New Year’s resolutions are notoriously hard to stick to. However, every day is an opportunity to get your diet right back on track.

Below we’ll look at some ways you can go about achieving your weight loss goals in 2012.

Meal replacement plans

There are many meal replacement plans around such as Celebrity Slim. These work by having a soup, snack or shake instead of a couple of your daily meals.

If your weight loss has started to level out, or you just feel you need something to help kick start it again, the Celebrity Slim starter pack is worth considering.

The shakes and Celebrity Slim soups are designed to keep your hunger away for longer. The fact the plan advises you to have five or six meals in a day also means you won’t ever have to go long without eating something.

Use slimming aids

You may also want to try a slimming aid such as Alli to help you shed the pounds. Alli can help you lose an extra pound for every two you’re able to lose on your own.

Slimming aids such as Alli are not a magical weight loss pill. However, if you’re disciplined, eat healthily and take regular exercise, the results can be impressive. Please speak to your pharmacist to see if alli is suitable for you.

Exercise

If, like many thousands of others, you signed up for a gym membership in January, now is the time to start going again.

Whether your motivation is to have a slimmer physique for your summer holidays, or to just become a bit healthier for your own sake or that of your family, regular exercise is the key to healthy weight loss.

If you can find an activity you enjoy, it makes it so much easier to get motivated. With lighter evenings on their way, small changes such as walking part of the way home from work can make a big difference.

Author Bio: To find out more about the Celebrity Slim meal replacement plan and to order supplies online, visit http://www. co-operativepharmacy.co.uk/ or pop into one of the many branches throughout the UK.

Thankfully, healthy meals no longer need to take a lifetime to create and there are many ways you can make quick but health boosting meals.

Freeze meals

One of the easiest ways to save time on food preparation is to freeze any meals which you make. Investing a set period of time into cooking a meal in bulk will allow you to freeze what you do not need in individual portions.

This ensures you do not eat too much during one sitting and also saves time when it comes to cooking.

The easiest meals to freeze are those which have all of their ingredients incorporated into one item. A Shepherd’s Pie, for example, contains meat, potatoes and a variety of vegetables and flavourings. Foil dishes can be purchased and filled to create individual portions of this tasty dish. These can then be frozen after cooking – meaning your freezer is full of tasty and nutritious meals.

This means you can simply reheat the meal when desired, cooking some additional vegetables and gravy if desired.

Blend food

Another great way to create healthy meals in an instant is by blending food items together. This is commonly used when creating smoothies and blended drinks.

Investing in a good quality food blender is obviously essential for this and those interested in this option can find kenwood processor reviews at kandco.com.

Numerous recipes are available online for those interested in blending their food and even ingredients such as carrots can be used to create great tasting items.

Soups and purees can also be created by using these blenders and that means that one appliance can have a number of different uses. This ensures you are able to create numerous meals which are nutritious and tasty in as short a time scale as possible.

Plan ahead

Another easy way to create health boosting foods quickly is by planning your meals in advance. Slow-cook meals are often more convenient than individuals realise and you can always leave these to cook whilst completing other everyday tasks.

Meals which require little or no preparation are also a great idea and can often carry a number of health benefits. Making simple changes, such as using oils which are lower in fat, can also improve the nutritional value of your meals quickly and easily.

Always plan your meals in advance and make sure you get the necessary ingredients out at the appropriate time.

Look for recipes which have short preparation times and choose meals which do not require much input when cooking.

This way you can create tasty meals in an instant whilst ensuring your health gets the boost it needs.

Take a look at my food diary for today and tell me how you think it went…

Breakfast

1 Vanilla Slim Fast Drink and an apple.

Lunch

This didn’t quite go according to plan! Mussels cooked in white wine, chilli, garlic and parsley served with a small portion of chips – maybe this wasn’t such a low fat recipe. This wasn’t too bad (I guess), however, I then also ate 3 slices of pizza, a slice of cheesy garlic bread and a pint of beer. O dear.

Dinner

Nothing – I think lunch was quite enough!

Snacks

3 olives.

Drinks

2 litres of water, 2 cups of green tea, 1 pint of larger and a cup of coffee with a splash of milk.

As I said yesterday, I feared today would be a dieting disaster due to my lunch time social event. So, let’s start from the beginning…

Day 3 on the Slim Fast diet started amazingly well! I decided to jump on the scales and in 3 days I’ve lost 7lbs!! 7lbs! I was seriously impressed and thought today would be another great day on the Slim Fast diet plan.

My Slim Fast breakfast went well; I had 1 vanilla Slim Fast shake, a glass of water, an apple and a green tea. I finished my breakfast feeling satisfied. I didn’t have a mid-morning snack as I wasn’t hungry (a mistake in hindsight), which I think is a sign of the Slim Fast diet working, usually I’d be starving by 10.30am.

So all was well and having learnt a lesson from my last lunch time dieting disaster I decided that today I would plan ahead. I checked out the menu for the place I would be going for lunch and picked out a low fat meal. All was well.

When we got to the pub I ordered the mussels and chips for lunch and then decided to order a pint of larger. I felt guilty about ordering and subsequently drinking the larger but it was my treat for losing 7lbs already! After I finished my meal that’s when it all went wrong. For some unknown reason I then thought it wise to polish off a slice of cheesy garlic bread and 3 slices of pizza all topped with a ton of mayonnaise. I think this was due to my distinct lack of carbohydrates over the past few days, I cannot tell you how bloated and sick I felt.

When I got home I felt far too guilty about the amount I’d eaten for lunch and the pint of larger and so hit the gym for an hour of cardio. This is the first exercise session I’ve done since being on the Slim Fast Diet and to be honest, had I not have had such a carb heavy lunch, I don’t think I could have got through a gym workout. I haven’t had dinner today as I’m still full from lunch.

In conclusion, I don’t think day 3 on the Slim Fast diet has gone particularly well!! I over indulged at lunch, drank alcohol and haven’t eaten any snacks or dinner. This does not bode well. So, tomorrow is day 4 of my Slim Fast diet and so far I think I’ve only managed 1 day following the plan correctly! Yet despite my loose following of the Slim Fast plan, I’ve somehow managed to lose half a stone? The scales read 11st 9lbs this morning, with this I am impressed. To be honest I think I’m struggling on the Slim Fast plan, but I am seeing results – I’m conflicted! I’m going to continues with the Slim Fast diet and maybe day 4 will be more in keeping with the actual plan – I’ll keep you posted.

It’s day 2 of my Slim Fast diet and today I’ve actually stuck to the plan and to be honest I’ve felt pretty rubbish. Here’s what I’ve eaten today :

Breakfast

One Vanilla flavoured Slim Fast shake made with semi skimmed milk.

Lunch

One Chocolate flavoured Slim Fast diet shake

Dinner

One pork chop (all fat removed), one table spoon of mash potato, gravy, broccoli and green beans

Snacks

Hand full of green olives in brine, one slimmer soup (84 calories) and a packet of Slim Fast pretzels.

Drinks

2 pints of water, 1 mug of green tea and 2 cups of black tea made with a nominal amount of semi skimmed milk.

So as promised today I stuck to the Slim Fast plan, I ate 3 snacks, had 2 shakes and ate a 600 calorie meal, I also drank the 2 pints of water. Although I haven’t as of yet managed to exercise, which I’m not feeling great about.

This morning when I had my Slim Fast shake for breakfast, I sat down at the dining room table whilst everyone else was tucking into Mums homemade bread and jams and I sipped away at my Vanilla flavoured shake. This immediately put me in a bad mood, I would have much rather been chewing on the warm, freshly baked bread and raspberry jam as opposed to my diet drink. Despite my miniscule breakfast I actually felt ok up until about 11am after which I started to feel hungry, I ate some olives as 1 of my snacks and got back to work.

By the time lunch arrived I was actually no more peckish than usual, I thought I would have been starving but I was ok and got stuck into my second Slim Fast shake of the day. At this point I thought the Slim Fast Diet and I were on the verge of becoming friends, but then 3pm hit. Mid-afternoon is always my downfall, whether I’m on a diet or not I always get the 3pm slump and today it hit me bad. I first started to feel the slump coming on at 14.10 and by 15.00 hrs I wanted to eat everything in the fridge and more. I managed to talk myself out of the foreseeable binge and instead restricted myself to a lovely packet of Slim Fast pretzels. Feeling slim? No. Feeling deprived? Yes. But I pulled myself together got back to work and before I knew it 5pm arrived and dinner was on the hob and in the oven!

I was exceptionally good with dinner today I would usually have heaps of mayonnaise and cheese in my mash potato but today I made my mash with Semi skimmed milk and the tiniest amount of butter you’ve ever seen – in fact I don’t even know why I bothered! But dinner was good and I’m now feeling full despite only having half of the amount I would usually have to eat…Has the Slim Fast effect taken hold already?

I’m really tempted to weigh myself tomorrow but is it too soon? Will I have lost any weight yet? I really don’t know! I was tempted to jump on the scales this morning but refrained, maybe I’ll wait until Saturday morning.

So what have I learnt on the Slim Fast diet today? Well getting through the second day was harder than the first – maybe because I actually stuck to the plan! But having eaten such a small dinner and actually feeling pretty full after it maybe, just maybe, the Slim Fast diet is beginning to work for me.

Tomorrow is day 3 of my Slim Fast diet and I can feel yet another social dieting disaster coming on already! I’m meeting my sister at the pub for lunch – this affair was arranged pre diet I’ll have you know! I’m highly doubtful Slim Fast shakes will feature on the pub menu so maybe this time I should bring my own…Or not. Why is dieting never simple?

So today I began my Slim Fast diet and it hasn’t all been plain sailing. This is my food diary and a list of all the food I’ve eaten today:

Breakfast

1 Vanilla flavoured Slim Fast Shake made with semi skimmed milk and an apple (I’m going to count the apple as 1 of my snacks).

Lunch

A low Fat Sandwich on brown bread – 325 calories in total. This is not on the Slim Fast plan I know! The Slim Fast diet plan requires me to have an evening meal of no more than 600 calories, but if I’ve had 325 calories for lunch, that surely meant I could use the remaining 175 calories for dinner, right?

Dinner

A single serving of poached salmon served with a small portion of plain boiled noodles and a large salad – no dressing.

Snacks

A handful of olives and a packet of Slim Fast pretzels.

Drinks

2 mugs of green tea, 2 pints of water and an Americano with a splash of milk.

Anyone who has done the Slim Fast diet before will immediately pick up on the fact that today, well, I haven’t exactly followed it correctly, have I?! To be honest I’m not really one for dieting but, as already explained, I have a big event coming up in less than 2 weeks and I need to lose weight fast!

Although today my Slim Fast diet may not have gone according to plan I have learnt one thing – dieting is so antisocial! I’ve been shopping today with friends and when they wanted to stop for lunch my heart filled with dread, I didn’t have my Slim Fast shake with me! We sat down in the restaurant and whilst they ordered hearty, creamy, delicious pasta dishes, with garlic bread may I add! I had no choice other than to order a 325 calorie sandwich, hold the mayo, hold the butter. Great. In hindsight I should have been far more organised and carried a Slim Fast shake with me, but then again whipping out my Slim Fast meal replacement in a plush, swanky restaurant is hardly the time or the place is it?!

Well so far I’ve not really stuck to the plan! However, I have eaten an exceptionally small amount of low fat food today and to be honest I’m feeling pretty hungry. After the breakfast shake I was feeling good, I’d had 1 Slim Fast shake and an apple and thought it would be pretty easy to follow. But as the days progressed I’ve felt quite ratty and restricted in my food choices. Whilst everyone has been eating their big bowls of creamy salmon pasta for dinner and been enjoying a glass of red, I’m eating plain salmon, plain noodles and a thrilling salad. This is highly frustrating and my mouth is watering at the thought of a large glass of Merlot although I dread to think how many calories there are in a glass of wine.

Despite my negativity so far, there have been positives to take from today. I struck up a conversation with 2 women who have previously followed the Slim Fast diet and they lost weight fast. They stuck to the 2 Slim Fast shakes, 3 Slim Fast snacks and 1 meal of 600 calories a day and the weight loss was impressive, one of the women lost 10lbs in 2 weeks and the other lost just over 8lbs. If I can achieve similar results to this I will be more than happy. However, over the next couple of days at least, I feel I have a great deal to get used to on the Slim Fast plan!

My aim for tomorrow? Stick to the Slim Fast diet plan correctly and I’ll let you know how I get on.

I’ve just arrived back from Newcastle having spent the weekend on one of my best friend’s hen do’s. The wedding is in 2 weeks’ time and I’m one of the 3 bridesmaids. Having had plenty to eat and drink over the past 4 days, I am seriously feeling it. I can’t remember the last time I felt this bloated and overweight.

I decided that today (for some reason) would be a good day to weigh myself…I wish I hadn’t. The last time I weighed myself I was 11stones 5lbs – yes I still use the ‘old school’ weight system. Today when I weighed myself, I was a seriously depressing 12stones 2lbs. That’s an 11lbs weight gain in a month?!

This situation is far from ok. A year ago (almost to the day) I was following the Weight Watchers diet plan and lost, in total, 22lbs. I weighed 10stones 9lbs and had never felt so good about my body. I was going to the gym 4 times a week and mixing cardio and weight training with yoga and Pilates, I felt proud of my body and proud of what I had achieved. However, I decided upon a change of career in August last year, which meant going back to university to retrain for 1 year. I didn’t have the money to keep going to the gym, I didn’t have the money to keep attending Weight Watchers meetings and as I wasn’t yet at goal weight meetings weren’t yet free. As a result Weight Watchers and the gym were out of my life and a downward spiral back onto the path of ‘fatness’ followed. I was confident at the time I could stick to the Weight Watchers plan on my own but without the commitment or accountability of having to visit the Weight Watchers scales every week, my weight slowly crept up and up and up.

Earlier today, when looking through the hen party photographs I came to realise enough was enough. Out of a group of 10 girls I was the biggest, I looked it and I felt it and so I have decided to do something about it.

Tomorrow I will begin the Slim Fast diet and before you even go there, I know exactly what you’re going to say! The Slim Fast diet is a quick fix, impossible to follow long term, unhealthy diet and yes you might be right, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I have to fit into my bridesmaid dress in 2 weeks and quite frankly I’m feeling large, fat, unhealthy and totally unattractive. This does not bode well when having to follow your petite best friend down the aisle along with the other size 10 and size 8 bridesmaids and all in a couple of weeks.

I have decided to keep a record of my Slim Fast diet and I’m hoping this will become my accountability, just like the Thursday night Weight Watchers session with the scales used to be. I don’t plan to stay on the Slim Fast diet for more than a couple of weeks but I’m hoping I can stick to the plan, lose weight and (fingers crossed) this will be my motivation to keep going. In total I’d like to lose 2 stones exactly, 10stones 2lbs is my goal weight, but will I get there? Who knows! I know I’ll try my best and my family have assured my they’ll do their best to keep me motivated. All I know is that the next 2 weeks of my life consist of Slim Fast diet shakes, Slim Fast meal replacements and Slim Fast snacks. Am I excited to be drinking my way to a slimmer body? No. Am I excited to be getting a slimmer body? You bet I am.

How can I exercise at home?

There are lots of things you can do to exercise at home. There are the obvious types of home exercises such as the workout DVD or you could try out a home gym although – a word of advice – these can be expensive! But if you want to workout or exercise at home they aren’t you’re only options.

You don’t need a great deal of expensive equipment to get in shape, your stairs are great for cardio and toning your legs, you armchair is an ideal piece of equipment for performing tricep dips and even housework can provide you with an overall workout.

What are the best home exercise workouts?

If you are new to exercise and want to start exercising at home the best piece of advice we can give you is get yourself a workout DVD. Exercise DVDs or workout DVDs will give you a well-structured easy to follow exercise routine and most workouts are progressive which means you’re not going to be stuck doing the same thing all the time, the exercises will get more difficult to perform and make you work harder so you really start to see results.

If you want to try exercising at home first of all without having to purchase any workout DVDs there are exercise channels available on TV, try channel 282 on Sky.

What exercises will help me lose weight at home?

Exercising at home can be a really cost effective way of working out and you don’t really need a great deal of equipment either. Every exercise routine should be made up of a basic combination including warm up, cardio, weight or resistant training followed by some floor or core work and a cool down. You can easily warm up by either going for a jog or run around the block, 2 minutes of star jumps or jumping jacks or you could even try skipping for 2 minutes. Any of those exercises will get you warmed up, so move onto the cardio part of your routine.

The cardio part of your home exercise should really follow the warm up and again there are plenty of exercises you can do at home, do you have an exercise bike? If so try a 20-30 minute cycle varying the pace and intensity you work at or you could head back out for a run. Alternatively set yourself up a mini circuit try 1 minute jogging on the spot, 30 seconds running on the spot then back to 1 minute jogging. This type of training is called interval training and if the best type of exercise for weight loss. Skipping is another great way of upping your heart rate and will really get you working.

Once you’ve finished the cardio part of your routine now is the time to do some sit ups for the abs, sets of squats for the legs, the plank for your core and some press ups for your shoulder and you chest. Aim to initially do 3 sets of between 12- 15 reps, you should start to fatigue about 3 reps from the end.

Finally it is really important to stretch, stretch every muscle in your body especially the muscles you have really worked. Your home exercise routine should last approximately 1 hour and if you can aim to workout 3 times a week you should start to notice a difference in your weight and body shape.

How can I exercise at home with no equipment?

Here is a quick and simple guide to working out with no equipment at home. First and foremost even though you don’t have specific gym equipment at home there are lots of things you will more than likely find around your house which you can use as exercise equipment. Tins of food can act as hand weights, big bags of rice or pasta can be used to put on your back and add weight when you are doing press ups or across your chest when doing sit ups.

If you’re looking to workout and exercise at home without any equipment take a look around your home and see what you can find to make your home exercises more challenging.

What is an easy at home exercise?

Do you have stairs at home? Try marching up and downs the stairs, this will help tone your legs and can also become part of your cardio workout. Also put your back leg on the bottom stair and do some lunges, your stairs are an ideal piece of exercise equipment that you probably wouldn’t even think about using but they’re there so make the most of them. Sit ups are another easy at home exercise and you can try push ups as well.

What makes a healthy balanced recipe?

There are a few key things to look out for when deciding upon whether a recipe is healthy. Firstly take a look at the calorie content and avoid anything high in calories, such as a creamy based pasta dish. Secondly take note of the fat content in the recipe and avoid anything high in saturated fat – remember there are different types of fat and fat is an essential part to your diet. Finally take note of your portion size, many recipes give you the quantities for say 4 people but the nutritional information might be for just 1 serving.

Also think about how you’re cooking your recipe a healthy recipe should be baked, grilled or eaten raw. Avoid frying or roasting food as this just adds additional fat and calories.

When preparing your healthy balanced recipe make sure you include plenty of whole fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables and avoid adding pure fat, sugar and processed foods.

What makes a good diet food recipe?

When you start dieting it is really important that you are aware everything you’re eating and drinking. Diet food doesn’t need to be boring but it does need to be low in calories, saturated fat and relatively low in carbohydrates. Any diet recipe that is high in carbs and you subsequently fail to burn them off through exercise will simply be stored as fat and obviously won’t help your weight loss. So a good diet food recipe should be portion controlled – so don’t pile your plate sky high! It should be high in fibre and protein and low in saturated fat, low in refined carbohydrates and should not contain excess calories. Also when making up a diet recipe avoid frying and try to eat, where possible, food in its raw state.

Where can I find the best diet recipes?

Some of the best diet recipes have come from simply experimenting in the kitchen. Take a selection of healthy foods you know you enjoy and try creating your own recipes. If you take a recipe from a book or find one online, there are sure to be ingredients you don’t particularly like in the dish, so rather than substituting everything on the menu try making your own healthy recipe.

If you’re really stuck for a weight loss or healthy recipe, try this one. Take a selection of vegetables such as – an onion, broccoli, red and green pepper, courgettes and chick peas (also add some garlic). Chop them up and add to a pan which you’ve heated up already and coated with a few squirts of 1 calorie cooking spray. Once the vegetables have softened add a tin of chopped tomatoes and season to taste – add salt pepper and maybe some chilli (which is great for speeding up your metabolism and can help with weight loss) and allow it to simmer. After 10-15 mins add a small amount of water and pour cous cous over the top, cover the pan and leave for 5 minutes of so. When you return you’ll have a pan filled with delicious, tasty and of course healthy cous cous. Serve your cous cous with a big salad and if you’ve cooked too much don’t feel you have to eat it! Remember portion control is essential to weight loss. Instead box it up and have it for lunch or dinner tomorrow.

What foods should be on my diet menu?

Here is a brief list of foods you’d might like to consider eating when you are on a diet to lose weight:

Fruit – Such as blueberries, apples, pears and strawberries and avoid eating too many bananas and watermelon as both are high in sugar.

Vegetable – Root vegetable such as potatoes aren’t really the type of vegetable you want to be filling up on as they are high in carbohydrate and remember unused carbs simply get stored as fat. Instead aim to eat plenty of healthy green leafed vegetables.

Seed and Nuts – These are a great natural source of good fats which can help improve the condition of your hair, nails and skin. Try to avoid high fat nuts and use seeds to put over salads and eat with soups.

You should avoid eating refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta and rice and replace them with complex carbs sure as wholegrain brown bread, brown rice and whole wheat pasta.

What healthy recipes are there for weight loss?

There are tonnes of healthy recipes out there for you to choose from and if you can’t find one you like try making your own healthy, weight loss recipe. Alternatively you can take a look at the Love Life Hate Diets Recipe collection which we are always adding to.

How do I know which is the best exercise for me?

Firstly it depends why you’re exercising, do you want to lose weight? Do you want to tone up? Do you want to build muscle? Or perhaps you want to improve your fitness levels? Either way, the first thing you need to do before you start even thinking about what is the best exercise for you, you need to first workout what your goal is.

Once you have established what your exercise goal is you can then start to consider which exercise is best for you. If you are looking to lose weight, for example, you will need to be doing plenty of cardiovascular exercises such as running or cycling.

If exercise really isn’t something you get excited about or really enjoy, it’s not because there isn’t an exercise out there for you, it’s just that you haven’t found it yet. It’s taken me years to find an exercise routine I both like and can reap the benefits from. I combine aerobic classes such as Zumba and Boxfit with strength exercise classes such as Bodypump and Toning classes.

The best way to find out which is the best exercise for you is to first determine your exercise goals and then get out there and try things out.

What is the best abdominal exercise?

An abdominal exercise is an exercise which works the stomach and also the sides of the stomach known as the oblique’s, abdominal exercises are also known as ab exercises.

There are some serious misconceptions when it comes to working out the stomach muscles. People think that doing 100 situps a day will give them the perfect abdominals but actually that’s not necessarily true. The only way to have that perfect washboard stomach is to combine abdominal exercises with a good cardio workout too. The stomach muscles have a layer of fat covering them and unless you id that stomach fat first there’s no chance of you seeing your toned abs anytime soon.

There are however plenty of exercises you can be doing whilst also burning your stomach fat and some of the best ab exercises (in our opinion) include:

Crunches

Stomach crunches are very similar to a sit up but you don’t sit the full way up. Instead your head doesn’t touch the floor and you repeat tiny pulses whilst in the sit up position. You should aim to do 3 sets of 16 to start with and work your way to increasing the amount you do. Always make sure you head is supported and if you’re not sure on your technique ask an instructor at your local gym.

Oblique Twists or Oblique sit ups

Ladies, listen up! If you want to pull in your waist and help perfect that hourglass figure then this abdominal exercise is for you. Position yourself in the sit up position but put both of your legs pointing towards the ceiling. Start to do a sit up but as you do, take your right hand and aim to touch your left foot in the air, so effectively you twist to one side, then repeat on the opposite side. Again initially aim to do this exercise for 3 sets of 16, you should feel this in your sides or your waist. If you feel any pain in your back whilst doing working the oblique’s, stop immediately and correct your technique. This is the best abdominal exercise to work the sides of your stomach – the obliques.

The Plank

Never heard of the plank? Well welcome to one serious stomach burning exercise. This exercise works both your stomach but also your core muscles, these are the muscles that support your posture and can also help to reduce back pain if worked and exercises correctly.

To do the plank firstly lay on your front, tuck you toes under and put your arms underneath you, in line with your shoulders with your forearms lying flat on the floor. Push yourself up so that you are only supported by your tucked under toes you’re your forearms. Pull your stomach muscles in and make sure you back is flat and parallel to the floor, your back should not be arched and your bum should not be poking in the air. Hold this exercise for as long as you can, if you are a beginner and you are doing this exercise correctly you should start to feel this working after 20-30 seconds.

What are the benefits of exercise?

The benefits of exercise are huge! Exercising on a regular basis can help to improve your physical appearance and fitness levels as well as your emotional and mental wellbeing.

Exercising produces endorphins which help to boost your mood and help you stay positive. Exercising also helps reduce your chances of developing depressions, different types of cancers and type2 diabetes. In fact there are very few down sides to exercising so if you want to find out the benefits of exercising we suggest you get out there, start exercising and enjoy the benefits for yourself.