Self October 2014

Boost Your Strength

1. Maximize Cardio - on the treadmill, add an incline for 60 seconds intervals. Or hit the rowing machine for three minutes between weight training moves to raise your heart rate.
2. Plank - standard planks and rotating side planks strengthen your core, which can make you less prone to injury. Plus, you use a strong core in every activity, athletic or otherwise.
3. Do diagonal moves - exercises like chopping wood [using a medicine ball or weighted pulley] involve rotational strength and work muscle groups in one efficient action.

Boost Your Power

1. Just jump - try 12 to 24 inch box jumps (5 reps is enough to make fast-twitch muscle fire). Or opt for simple squat jumps - and do as many as you can for 30 seconds straight.
2. Play power sports - soccer, boxing, or tennis, for example, require total body strength and precision. Their targeted movements will help increase your power.

Boost Your Endurance

1. Mix up your cardio - alternate between classic cardio and more high-intensity exercises to increase your aerobic capacity. So in addition to Spin class or running a 5K, include CrossFit or sprint intervals.
2. Try rhythmic breathing - during yoga or a run, practice breathing through your belly. This forces you to use your chest less so you can take in more air. As you learn to breathe more efficiently, you’ll be giving your muscles the oxygen they need to last.

Boost Your Flexibility

1. Do active warm ups. move like front leg kicks, high knees and butt kicks target major muscles groups and improve circulation to those areas. This makes muscles and joints more limber and ready to work out.
2. Try foam rolling. It targets areas that are especially tight, like the glutes, quads and hamstrings. Research shows that rolling relaxes the soft tissues surrounding muscles and can increase anxiety.

Boost Your Recovery

1. Vary your workouts. Don’t jump the StairMaster every time you exercise. Changing your activities from day to day avoids repeatedly stressing the same muscles.
2. Mix it up - alternate active recovery like walking, a light jog or a swim with restorative options, like soaking in a hot tub or icing an overworked area
3. Get more sleep - Stanford University researchers found that when basketball players slept approximately two extra hours a night, their free throw accuracy increase by 9 percent.

Boost Your Agility

1. Do drills - learn to use the agility ladder and do shuttle runs. These activities increase agility by getting your body familiar with sudden movement.
2. Sprint - building leg strength improves agility because leg muscles tend to be key to moving quickly. Start with one 30 yard sprint, then recover about 60 seconds. Repeat four more times.

Self September 2014

How to wear the bomber jacket

Keep it  casual - play up the jacket’s athletic feel with track pants in an unexpected materials like leather or silk, plus a simple V-neck tee and classic sneakers.

Dress it up - elevate the look with a pencil skirt or a fitted, knee length dress in a solid color, plus stilettos. For jewelry, try something sleek and modern, like a brushed silver ring.

Fresh for Fall

Bold Brows-

The trend - brows are filled in and thick but natural - creating a polished look that’s perfect for work. Your brow hair already has a bit of sheen to it. New formula contains mica particles that add just enough shine.

The trick - using light stroke, fill in brows with a brow pencil and cream, starting at the arch. Deposit color there first, because that’s where brows are most dense and dark.

Flushed Cheeks -

The trend - a brown contouring shade enhances bone structure; peach (if you have cool undertone) or hot pink (for warm undertones) mimics natural rosiness. Brown creates a shadow, which makes your cheekbones look more prominent.

The trick - blend brown brush from your cheek to your ear to create a shadow effect just below your cheekbones.  Use a fan brush because it deposits a thin veil of color. Dust peach blush on cheekbones or pink on apples of cheeks.

Berry Lips

The trend - Apply matte raspberry or blackberry lipstick, applied with a light touch.

The trick - apply the lipstick with your ring finger. Rub finger on lipstick, then pat into your lips, starting at the center and working your way to the corners.  Concentrating color in the middle creates the illusion of fuller lips. And working it in with your finger helps the pigment sink in.

Self August 2014

Easy Beauty Fixes - Gorgeous Hair

Add Volume -  a thickening mousse that fights hair flattening heat and humidity. New formulations are lightweight and contain ingredients that expand the diameter of each strand. B vitamins, panthenol, polyquaternium-4 and hyaluronic acid are a few to look for on the label.  Rub a plum sized amount between your hands first, then run fingers through your hair from roots to tips. Use a wide toothed comb to spread it out completely.

Strengthen your hair -  a deep conditioning mask that contains amino acids, keratin or ceramides - all proteins and lipids naturally found in hair - will make strands stronger. The speediest way to use a mask is to sub it in for  your conditioner whenever you wash your hair. Squeeze the water out of your hair before applying, so it doesn’t dilute it. Rinse after a few minutes. If  hair is very damaged, try this at least once a week: smooth the mask on dry hair right when you wake up, ten minutes to an hour later, shower and rinse it out, then shampoo and condition as usual.

Soften Strands - Natural oils - argan, sesame, avocado - soak deep into the hair shaft. Before bed, distribute a tablespoon or two through dry hair.  Shampoo clean in the morning, repeat the process each time you wash until hair feels softer.  If hair is extra dry, try a leave-in conditioning spray with dimethicone in addition to the oil. It locks in hair’s natural moisture.

Boost shine - an at home gloss. Glosses deposit clear or sheer pigments and silicone that makes the cuticle layer lie flat again. Apply one to damp hair for 10 minutes, then rinse. To play it safe, use a  gloss only every few months. Some contain a small amount of peroxide which can be damaging if overused.

Easy Beauty Fixes - Luminous Skin

Bring out your natural glow - spotlight features with a highlighter or luminizer. The shimmery liquid, cream or powder reflects light, making any area you apply it to stand out. Use the same highlighter to show off defined muscles. Swipe it  on shoulders and down the fronts of arms and legs.

Hydrated your complexion -  a hydrating tone or essence. Old school toners used alcohol to dissolve oil and left skin dry. Today’s versions still control oil, but most are alcohol-free and deliver light humectants, such as hyaluronic acid, that draw moisture to the skin. If you are very dry, layer on a light moisturizer too. The toner primes skin to better absorb any hydrator you put on next.

Get smoother looking legs -  massage a cellulite treatment that contains caffeine into thighs for five minutes. Vigorous rubbing breaks up fibrous bands, so fat distributes more smoothly under the skin. And caffeine dehydrates fat cells, shrinking them so they look temporarily look less bumpy.

Self July 2014

Get rid of swim hair - to rinse the greening chlorine from the pool and damaging salt from the sea out of your strands, pour 1 cup of vodka over your hair when showering and leave on for five minutes, then shampoo and condition. The spirit removes harmful water deposit without altering your color or texture. It also detangles and helps close hair’s cuticle layer, leaving it shiny.

Fight sweat spots - To help keep skin dry and flower fresh, mist your body with an stringent. The astringent’s alcohol and menthol make skin feel cool, and along with witch hazel, cleanse it of sweat and oil.

Self October 2013

Experts say the omega-3 fatty acids may suppress inflammation. Go for salmon, tuna, halibut and sardines which has the highest level of omega-3.

Refresh your hair - just dip a brush into face powder, dust onto your part and fluff with fingers. It will instantly absorb excess oil that’s weighing your hair down.

Shrink a pimple - concealer hides redness, but you still have that bump. To flatten it, dip a swab in acetone nail polish remover [it dehyrdates] dab on the spot, then wait a few minutes before cover-up.

Tips of Shiny Hair

Brush with greatness - Natural bristles [like boar] boost shine better than synthetic ones. They distribute moisture evenly and won’t strip it out.

Polish your style  - the straighter hair is, the more it reflects light.  Spritz on heat protector, blow dry smooth, and run a  flatiron from roots to ends. Then glide a bit of shine - enhancing oil all over.

Wanna glow up?  Do a mask with natural oils weekly or use this DIY glaze - Mix ½ cup aloe vera juice and ¼ cup avocado oil. Leave on dry hair 30 minutes, shampoo, shine on.

Having a Hell Day?

Salmon, to fuel creativity  for that afternoon brainstorming session. It’s rich in DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that sharpens thinking  by delivering key nutrients to your brain cells.

Bell peppers, to boost confidence before a big presentation. They supply mega vitamin C, which has been linked to lower stress levels.

Turkey, to hit a deadline the bird has vitamin B6, which helps convert carbohydrates to energy, as well as tyrosine, an amino acid that ups levels of dopamine and norepinephrine - brain chemicals that keep you focused.