Fashion

Make Your Life Easier With This Fab Shopping Site

Posted by menyok on in Fashion

Personally shopping in a store is a marvelous activity (and excellent form of exercise) all in itself, however nowadays virtual shopping is a must as well. It’s an easy way to discover unique items that our limited options of shopping excursions will not always allow us to come across. We are exposed to new styles and ideas from personalities all over the globe. We can explore and identify a new something that we like, and within minutes, we have located that same item, added it our shopping cart and before we can grab our car keys, our latest must-have is heading directly to our front door.

I have found a few sites that make my life much easier and being that I aspire to make everyone else’s lives easier as well, I will happily share. Today I will discuss the wonderful world of asos. ASOS (pronounced ACE-OSS) is the UK’s largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer, offering over 60,000 branded and own label products across womenswear and menswear. The idea of ASOS started in 1999 as an internet business where people could find clothes or accessories they had seen celebs wearing. The company began with this concept and within a few years they began to sell more fashion than just clothes that had been ‘seen on screen’.

One of my favorite reasons to shop on this site is the View Runway feature. Along with photos of different angles and views, each garment is displayed being worn down a small runway, showing exactly how the item looks, moves and flows. I don’t know about you all, but I have had many experiences of receiving an item and being surprised at how it actually appears in ‘real life’. E-commerce stylists are paid to make a stores merchandise look good, and many items are pinned, stretched or altered to look more appealing. This is not evident until we receive these items and find that they fit differently than how displayed on the site. So being able to see the garment worn by someone is very helpful in determining if it is what you are looking for or not.

Another gratifying feature of the site is their Fashion Finder section. Here you can find the freshest fashion trends and the street style skinny, plus the best outfit ideas created by members to inspire your fashion forward look. You will also find What to Wear ideas, for style advice for any occasion. You can browse women’s fashion tips by event, and if you’re feeling inspired, create your own outfit too. Fashion Trends are displayed showcasing the lowdown on the biggest catwalk trends. You can take inspiration from the most influential designers, before styling your own outfits and uploading your fashion forward looks.

A fun way that this site stands out, is that they offer a Marketplace where anyone, anywhere in the world, can sell fashion, to anyone, anywhere in the world. You can sell individually for free or can apply for a boutique if you have a small business or brand. What an epic way for thousands of individuals just like me, selling their wardrobes to fund their next fashion fix.

Last, but not least, the price points found at asos can fit just about every budget. They constantly run sales, on current season items, which makes it all the more easier to justify trying out new styles. Shipping is free to over 190 countries, as well as returns, which makes shopping here essentially risk-free. Before checking out, be sure to check the site for any coupons, which are typically always available.

I highly recommend adding asos to your current must-shop sites, and as a result your shopping world just may be rocked.

How to Lose the Pear Shape Figure

Posted by menyok on in Fashion, Health, Health and Beauty, Health and Fitness

Someone with a “pear shape” carries extra weight around the hips. A study at the Children’s Hospital in Boston found that pear-shaped individuals have lower levels of insulin than individuals who carry extra weight around their abdomens (“apple shape”). What this means is good news for the pear-shaped: they can lose weight both through restricted fats and restricted carbohydrates. However, while losing weight around the hips is easier, making a plan and sticking to it is key.

Instructions

  1. Eat fewer fats and simple carbohydrates. Instead, eat lean foods, including chicken, turkey and fish, as well as slow-burning carbohydrates like black beans and kidney beans. Include vegetables at every meal and eat only fresh fruit (no juice or dried fruit). Banish foods that serve no healthy purpose, such as chips, candy, soda, white bread and fast-food meals.
  2. Set a calorie goal. Use a weight calculator to determine your calorie needs and to calculate the calories you’re consuming. Make it a daily goal to meet but not exceed your daily calories.
  3. Exercise frequently: aim for five or more exercise sessions per week. Your exercise should be at least 30 minutes with little or no weight and high intensity. If you aren’t used to exercise, start with a half-hour of walking, then work up to intervals of walking and jogging. If you have difficulty motivating yourself, sign up for an aerobics class or other guided fitness program. If you enjoy sports like tennis, basketball or soccer, they are all excellent for burning fat.
  4. Perform resistance training to tone your upper body and even out the appearance of your pear shape. Toned shoulders and a V-shaped torso will make your hips look smaller. Add resistance training to your workout two or three times per week. Some fitness classes include a resistance training component.

Tips & Warnings

Planning ahead makes healthy eating easier. Determine which combination of foods best meets your caloric needs and schedule your meals. Make a shopping list with healthy foods and stick to it. Don’t be afraid to eat the same thing every day, if you enjoy it and it’s healthy, until you reach your goal. Find a friend to exercise and compare meal ideas with. You’ll keep each other honest and motivated.

Pear Body Shape Exercises

Posted by menyok on in Fashion, Health, Health and Beauty, Health and Fitness

According to Michele Olson, professor of exercise science at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, lower body fat is much more difficult to lose than fat in the midsection or other areas. The good news is that overweight, pear-shaped women are at a lower risk for health problems than overweight, apple-shaped women. However, it is best to tackle obesity as early as possible to avoid complications later in life. Begin by implementing exercise into your life at least five days a week, and by eating smaller meals. Remember, starvation or extreme food restriction will cause your body to store more fat, so focus on reducing portions but eating steadily during any workout program.

Interval Walking and Jogging

Interval cardio training burns more calories than steady cardio, such as going for a long jog. To incorporate intervals into a cardio workout, simply start at about half your maximum intensity (a brisk walk, for example), and increase your intensity every couple minutes. After you sustain your maximum intensity for a minute or two (a jog or sprint, depending on your fitness level), drop back down to a recovery level at about half-intensity. Repeat this cycle for 20 to 45 minutes, and remember not to strain yourself if you haven’t exercised in a while.

Other Interval Training

You can implement interval training into a variety of cardio activities—running, cycling, elliptical, or swimming. A good way to increase intensity in running or cycling is to add hills to your workout. Because interval training is intense, you may want to alternate interval days with steady cardio days, or alternate interval days with strength training days.

Strength Training

Two or three days a week of weight training can have phenomenal effects on health and physique. Weight training is the only way to change your body shape—while cardio training will help you lose weight, weight training will build lean body mass and balance the shape of your body. For the lower body, light weights and high reps will build lean body mass without “bulking up” your pear shape. For the upper body, Olson recommends a more traditional program—higher weight levels and a lower number of reps.