Summer Hair Care Tips

Treat your locks to some TLC, to keep your hair shiny, glossy and healthy this summer.

Jonathan Long, celebrity stylist and co-founder of Lockonego salon, shares his tips for healthy hair.

Feed your hair from the inside! Make sure your diet is rich in omega 3 and fatty acids; think avocado, mackerel, nuts and seeds. If you eat a healthy and varied diet it will show in your hair. Be sure to keep hydrated too; drink plenty of water to hydrate hair follicles.

If you go out in direct sunlight remember that your scalp is just as likely to burn as the rest of the skin on your body. Either wear a hat or invest in a spritz that contains UVA and UVB protection. 

If you are a sun worshipper, coat your hair in conditioner before you hit the beach; this will help to keep it hydrated and your hair will be left soft and manageable when you wash it out.

Look for alternative heat-free looks, beachy, tousled waves are always a style hit for summer and are easy to create without using heat on your hair. French plait damp hair before bed, take out in the morning and finish with a spritz of salt spray and a quick run through with your fingers. Voila!

During the summer months you might want to avoid using artificial products in your hair, especially if they contain alcohol as this dries your hair out unnecessarily. Invest in a good hair oil: Jojoba, coconut, almond and grape seed are all brilliant ingredients to look out for in a hair oil, leave in overnight and shampoo out in the morning; you’ll notice a huge difference in the texture and feel of your locks.

Source: womensfitness.co.uk/style/770/summer-hair-care-tips

 

The Wedding Workout

Whether you’re a bride-to-be or a guest looking for a speedy shape-up, Fitness First’s AJ Perera has all the advice you need to look your best on the big day.

Planning a wedding can feel like spinning far too many plates at one time – and these days even being a guest comes with myriad responsibilities, from booking hotel rooms to sourcing the perfect present.

But we all want to look our best on the big day, particularly when the photographer gets snap happy. So ditch the hassle with this simple workout plan and diet tips from Fitness First's AJ Perera.

Monday

Workout: Head outside for a run or jog. Walk for five minutes to warm up then jog at a steady pace for 20 minutes. Walk for a further five minutes to cool down.

Lifestyle tip: Swap processed foods and starchy carbohydrates for lean meat and fish and fresh veg.

Tuesday

Workout: Body weight circuit

Squat x 20

Bend through your knees until your hips are level with your knees, then slowly rise up again.

Alternating lunge x 20

Step forward on one leg and bend both knees to 90 degrees. Repeat 10 times on each leg.

Modified press-up x 20

Check your alignment. Your shoulders should be over your wrists and your body in a straight line. If you’re feeling strong, lift up onto your toes.

Wide squat x 20

Squat as before but position your feet wider apart.

Plank x 30 seconds

Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your bottom from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle.

Repeat the circuit as many times as possible in 20 minutes.

Lifestyle tip: As well as eating lots of vegetables, increase the amount of fresh fruit, nuts and seeds you consume.

Wednesday

Workout: Rest day (still try to walk and be active – take the stairs when you can!) 

Lifestyle tip: Sleep is critical in dropping body fat and recovering you’re your workouts. Aim to sleep for eight hours at least four to five nights a week, preferably between 10pm and 6am.

Thursday

Workout: Hopefully the sun will be shining, so head outside for an interval training session. Walk for five minutes to warm up. Sprint from one lamppost to the next, then walk to the following lamppost and repeat for 20 minutes. Walk for five minutes to cool down.

Lifestyle tip: Try to drink one litre of water per 20kg of body weight and if you do need a little caffeine burst, drink black tea and coffee before midday only.

Friday

Workout: Weighted circuit. Perform these moves wearing a backpack filled with tins or weights for a challenge! 

Squat with weighted backpack x 20

Alternating lunge holding a weighted backpack x 20 (10 each leg)

Add a jump between lunges for more of a challenge

Modified press-up x 20 (Go onto your toes if you’re feeling strong!)

 Sit-up x 20 reps

Wide squat holding a weighted backpack x 20

Plank x 30 seconds

Repeat this circuit as many times as possible in 20 minutes.

Source:womensfitness.co.uk/fitness/390/wedding-workout

Get A Hot Bikini Body

If the thought of stripping down to slinky swimwear for summer fills you with dread, it’s time to take action. Follow our simple tips to get you looking beach-ready in no time.

Spring may have only just sprung, but summer will be upon us before you can say, ‘wish I hadn’t eaten so many cookies.’

If your new year’s resolution to lose weight has started to stall, redirecting your focus toward getting the beach body you’ve always dreamed of could help to kick-start your motivation. 

Here’s how to make it a reality.

Up the intensity

While a leisurely walk or steady state run a few days a week will boost your health, it’s not going to get you on the path to bikini body glory. To get the body you want you need a workout that will both burn fat and tone muscle. Sack off the 5K run in favour of a high-intensity sprint session in the park – try doing 20-30-second sprints alternated with a minute’s rest and repeat five times. Do this twice a week combined with two or three free weights or circuit sessions to tone up and boost your fat burn. Try this easy circuit in the park: 10 star jumps, 10 squat jumps, 20 jumping lunges, 10 press-ups, 10-second plank, 20 crunches.

Eat well

Eating a balanced and healthy diet is the best way to get your body bikini-ready. Tuck into plenty of dark green leafy veg, which are packed with vitamins and minerals, and replace processed meat with lean protein. Add in small portions of ‘good’ carbs such as brown bread and rice or quinoa, eat plenty of fruit and munch on good fats such as avocados and nuts in moderation.

VisualiseThis is another technique you can add to your armoury in pursuit of the perfect beach body. Imagining how fantastic you’ll feel when you step onto the beach for the first time with your new bikini body will help boost your focus and get you through any motivation slumps along the way.

Give yourself a helping hand with this amazing Bikini Body Diet.

 Don't leave it too late to get in shape!!

Is Diet Coke Making You Fat?

People who drink at least one can a day have larger waist measurements

• Regularly drinking diet fizzy drinks adds inches to a person's waistline
• Scientists found those who drank at least one a day gained 3 inches 
• Large waistlines linked to diabetes, stroke, heart attack and cancer 

Dieters opting for low-calorie fizzy drinks to help boost their weight loss may see their waistlines expand instead, experts have warned.

Rather than encouraging the pounds to drop off, a new study has shown regularly drinking diet sodas adds inches to a person's waist measurement.

Scientists at the University of Texas examined the lifestyles of 749 Mexican-American and European-American people, over the course of nine years, in which 466 participants survived.

They tracked the number of fizzy drinks each person consumed, and whether or not they were diet drinks.

A new study has shown those participants who drank at least one diet fizzy drink a day gained at least three inches to their waistlines over the course of nine years 

They found those who indulged in at least one diet drink a day gained at least three inches to their waistlines. 

The participants were interviewed at the beginning of the study and at three follow-up visits, where researchers measured their waist circumferences and other parameters. 

Of those who said they never consumed diet fizzy drinks, waist circumference increased by less than one inch over the nine-year study period, said Sharon Fowler, one of the study's lead authors.

Among those reporting occasional consumption - drinking less than one diet soda a day - waist circumference increased by around two inches.

And for the group who said they consumed diet fizzy drinks every day, often more than once a day, waist circumference increased by more than three inches. 

Past studies have highlighted the dangers of accumulating fat around the waist.

Researchers have linked visceral fat - that which builds up around internal organs - with increased inflammation and risk of metabolic disease, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, cancer and mortality.

Dr Fowler said: 'Because the study measured waist circumference as well as total weight, we were able to look at what happened to participants' abdominal obesity.

'The increases in abdominal fat were more than three times as great in daily diet soda users as in non-users.

'This is during the very time in life when increasing waist circumference is associated with increased risk of these serious medical conditions, and mortality itself.' 

In 2008 the same scientists published research which looked at the association between drinking artificially sweetened drinks, and long-term weight gain in participants.

Experts warned diet fizzy drinks are linked to people gaining and not losing weight. Dr Sharon Fowler said the findings are consistent with past research linking diet sodas to increased risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and other medical problems

They found that among more than 3,600 25 to 65-year-old Mexican-Americans and European-Americans followed for seven to eight years, body mass index and the risk of obesity rose consistently the more artificially sweetened drinks a person consumed.

As part of the new study, the researchers adjusted statistically for a large number of variables that could have affected the findings, including initial waist size, exercise level and whether the participant had diabetes or smoked.  

These results are consistent with findings from a number of other observational studies of increased long-term risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke and other major medical problems among daily diet soda users

Dr Sharon Fowler 

'Even when you adjust for those things, you have this independent effect of diet soda consumption on waist circumference change over time,' senior author, Dr. Hazuda said.

'There is definitely debate about whether the association between diet soda intake and cardiometabolic risk, which has been detected in several large observational studies, is based on an actual causal relationship,' Dr Fowler added.

'We are simply reporting the statistical association we found: that, over almost a decade, waist circumference increased significantly, in a dose-response manner, with increasing diet soda intake in this group of older individuals. 

'These results are consistent with findings from a number of other observational studies of increased long-term risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke and other major medical problems among daily diet soda users.'

Their findings were most pronounced among those people who were already overweight or obese at the outset of the research.  

'In spite of these limitations, however, the evidence, taken together with relevant findings from other studies in both humans and animals, is pretty compelling,' Dr. Hazuda said. 'We're trying to provide the evidence base for meaningful decision-making to improve both the health of individuals, and the public health.'

Source: dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3028911/Is-Diet-Coke-making-fat-People-drink-one-day-larger-waist-measurements.html#ixzz3WiTaawXf