D is for Do Ya, Do Ya, Do Ya wanna Dance!

Posted on September 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

DANCE as though no one is watching you,

LOVE as though you have never been hurt before,

SING as though no one can hear you,

LIVE as though heaven is on earth

Alfred Souza

Ah the joys of dancing.  It’s one of those things that will pick you up and dust you off and get you smiling and living and thinking positively.  Don’t have a partner?  No big Deal – you can twirl and whirl by yourself.  Just put on some happy music – I like Queen Ida and her Bon Ton Zydeco Band – and get up off your butt and on your feet and start moving!

Dancing has many natural health benefits.  If you want to lose weight but hate exercising, dancing is the perfect way to get some movement going without calling it that dreaded word “exercise!”  Dancing can burn up to 10 calories per minute depending on intensity and speed of the dance.  Naturally, swing and salsa dancing burns more calories than a slow waltz.  Dancing combines stretching and toning and bending, all vital to staying healthy, young and strong.  Dancing strengthens our lungs and hearts, and builds strong bones with its weight-bearing activity.  Dancing keeps us naturally younger as it improves our memory and exercises our brains when we have to memorize  the steps, routines and patterns for each type of dance.  Dancing improves balance and flexibility and exercises our central and peripheral nervous systems.

The very simple act of getting up and moving will put you in a better mood.  Dancing increases the production of endorphins, those “feel good” brain chemicals that reduce stress and depression.

Dancing by yourself is an instant mood lifter.  Even better is to go out and dance.  Dancing is a social activity, whether it be with your very own partner or a partner that you dance with in a dance class.  In most countries around the world, people dance with people, women dance with women, and they all have a good time.  Don’t let not having a partner stop you.  Go to a dance class – you never know – you might meet your perfect partner out on the dance floor.

See Previous Post – D is for Dancing and Dance Shoes and the Resilience of Women

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Posted in Anti-aging, Healthy Senior Women, Mind-Body-Spirit, Natural Health

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D is for Dry Hair? Don’t Despair! Do It Yourself Care!

Posted on September 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Dry Hair?  Don’t Despair.  Your hair — your “crowning glory” – is the first thing people see when they look at you (I believe your shoes are the second thing – but that’s a whole ‘nother post!).  You want your hair to reflect all the good things about you – your natural health, your natural beauty, your radiance, your elegance.

First things first – Cut it!  Get your hair back into healthy condition by getting it trimmed and rid of the split and dead ends.  That will get you going on the right track.  To keep on the right path to a beautiful head of hair, don’t use your brush when your hair’s wet.  Invest in a good wide-toothed comb and start at the bottom of your hair no matter what length it is and don’t get stuck in the knots and pull – just gently use your fingers to unravel the clumps.  Also invest in a good soft bristle brush, maybe a baby brush, and use it gently to distribute natural oils through your hair without causing any breakage.

Cut down on the frequency of washing your hair – if it’s dry, no more than twice a week!  Check the ingredients in your shampoo and eliminate the ones that have harsh ingredients like alcohols or sodium laurel sulfates.  A soft and gentle shampoo made out of some healthy oils like almond or jojoba mixed a little bit of pure castile soap (Dr. Bronner’s is great) will keep your hair clean and shiny and healthy. Just say NO to harsh chemicals that can harm your hair!

Mayonnaise and avocados have lots of natural oils that nourish your hair from the outside.  Skip the California sandwich of avocados and mayonnaise (with sprouts in LA!) and instead, put those ingredients on your head.  Cover and sit for 15 minutes, then rinse it out with warm water.  Shiny!

Healthy fats equal healthy hair.  Deficiencies of essential fatty acids (EFAs)  can result in unhealthy hair (and body)!  Polyunsaturated, omega-3 fatty acids are the best healthy fats for ensuring your internal health and protecting against the damages caused by free radicals which not only lead to heart disease and cancer, arthritis and asthma — they also result in dry, damaged, lifeless, brittle hair!  Fish oils such as salmon and cod liver, and nuts and seeds are essential to your diet for your hair and for your health.

Drinking water is a key to natural health (see Previous Post – D is for Drinking Water).  Water will help you to get rid of unwanted fat and flab, and will help to flush toxins from your body.  Think about moisture when you want healthy hair and drink a good amount of water daily! 

Here’s a great recipe to restore the shine and moisture to your hair:

YOGURT HAIR MASK -

1/2 c plain yogurt
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 egg
Blend all ingredients in a bowl until smooth.  Shampoo as usual and apply the yogurt mixture to your hair and scalp. Leave it on for about 15 minutes.  You can cover your hair in a hot towel (put  a moist towel in the microwave to heat it up) to help it be absorbed and keep it from dripping all over. Rinse your hair out completely with warm water, and follow this with a gentle conditioner.

 

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Posted in Diet, homemade beauty products, natural beauty

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C is for Compassionate Communication – Can you just listen?

Posted on September 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

Everybody’s got opinions.  Sometimes it’s better to keep them to yourself.  And just listen.  Listen compassionately.  Listen with your heart.  Don’t comment.  Allow the other person to speak from their heart.

This seems to be one of the hardest skills we have to learn in life.  We don’t have to fix everything.  In his famous book, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,” Dr. John Gray wrote of how men and women listen differently.  In order to communicate with the opposite sex, men must stop trying to solve problems.  Women just want to be heard.  To be understood.  To vent their anger or frustration.  Women aren’t looking for solutions.  They just want their partner’s or friend’s empathy.

The truth is – women try to fix things too.  Especially with their friends.  When one woman confides in another that life has taken a downturn, or her job stinks, or her boyfriend just left her and is living with another woman – she’s not looking for a solution.  She just wants to let it all out.  She just wants her friend to listen compassionately from beginning to end.

Can you train yourself to be a compassionate listener?  Can you help by not helping?  Can you listen without comment or judgment?  Can you simply open up your ears and your heart and let another person talk with their heart?

According to Thich Nhat Hahn, Buddhist Monk and peace advocate, deep and compassionate listening is the way to resolve all conflicts, whether it be between romantic partners, parents and children, terrorists and politicians.  Watch this interesting dialogue about compassionate listening with Thich Nhat Hahn and Oprah Winfrey:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyUxYflkhzo

It’s not easy. But it’s necessary.  To be a good friend, to be a good partner, to be a good person – sometimes you just have to shut up!

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Posted in Healthy Senior Women, Mind-Body-Spirit

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B is for Bras – Buy the right one for Beautiful Breasts

Posted on August 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

Bras – they’re part of our lives, just as our breasts are part of our bodies.  Some of you out there are small-breasted and can wear those sexy, seductive pieces of cloth that look pretty and fit well.  Then there are some of us who are more generously endowed and we need something that will fit comfortably and hold us up well.  Studies have shown that 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra.  Wearing a bra that is uncomfortable and makes you look saggy and droopy makes you look old and feel old, and that’s not what being a youthful, juicy naturally beautiful woman is about.  We’re all about feeling good and looking good!

Choosing a bra can be as daunting as choosing the right college or career or soulmate!  There’s nothing sexy about pulling and pushing your breasts and bras to get rid of those straps digging into your shoulders or adjusting the fat hanging over your back.

Here are some signs that you’re wearing a bra that doesn’t fit well:

  1. Your cups spilleth over.
  2. The back of your bra rides up.
  3. Tight straps that hurt and give you indentations or red marks on your shoulders.
  4. The cups ripple and dimple indicating they’re too small.
  5. Saggy or droopy breasts.
  6. Straps that slip and slide off.
  7. Uncomfortable underwires.
  8. According to Susan Nethero, a bra expert that Oprah loves — Back fat doesn’t necessarily mean your bra is too small.  It actually means your bra is too big!  Change to a smaller band size bra that rides lower on your back and that will eliminate the dreaded back fat.

One thing you can do to make your breasts look a bit more perky is to sit and stand up tall and straight.  Good posture is one of the most important ways to look young and vital.

Then walk tall to the nearest department store and go to the bra department.  Most lingerie departments, especially in higher end stores, will give you a free bra fitting.  Even if you have to pay a few dollars, it’s a great investment.  You’ll be surprised at the change in the number and the change in your look and feel.  Being beautiful (and comfortable) is worth it!

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Posted in Anti-aging, Healthy Senior Women, natural beauty

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A is for Anti-Aging — It’s not All About Attitude

Posted on August 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

What makes a naturally beautiful woman of any age look, feel and act younger?  It’s all about attitude!  Yes, what’s inside your mind, body and soul are what make you vibrant, alive, sexy and youthful.  And a little help with the outside doesn’t hurt either!

Having an open mind keeps your whole body active and healthy.  One of the best ways you can improve your anti-aging ability is to change your attitude and stop acting and behaving like an old fuddy duddy!  Smile – you’ll look younger (and you’ll feel a lot better too!). Get some sleep because without enough sleep, you’re tired all day which makes the body produce excess cortisol, a hormone that disintegrates skin cells.  See Previous Post – S is for Sleep – Some Timely Tips for Sound Snoozing).

Here are some outward tell-tale signs of looking old:

Granny pants up around your waist or jeans that don’t fit and make muffin tops -

Wearing the wrong size bra – Back fat and saggy breasts or uniboobs – get a good fitting and get those girls up high and perky

Wearing clothes from Forever 21 when you’re forever 65.  Too much skin exposed, too tight or too short skirts, or too much cleavage hanging out – you’re not Britney Spears, you know!

Too much bling-y jewelry, too much jewelry of any kind – especially jewelry that doesn’t flatter your neck – Wattle necks are for turkeys, not NBW!  Wear some beautiful earrings that draw attention to your eyes and keep those chokers away from the wattle.

The little mistakes that we think people don’t notice – Long red nails or chipped and  discolored nails, roots showing or ashy-looking gray hair, teeth that are yellowing, cakey foundation that stops at your neck.  Lipstick spots on your teeth or lipstick bleeding onto the lines on your face.  All of these can be taken care of if we look into the mirror and pay attention.

What makes you look old is looking like you really tried too hard or else looking like you never tried at all.

What makes you look, act and feel young is what we’re all about here at Naturally Beautiful Women.  We’re back to the beginning with “A” again and we’ll be telling you all sorts of tips to live the best possible life you can – looking good, feeling healthy, being happy, staying motivated, and just plain enjoying life!

 

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