Health Benefits of Drinking Water

So we're always being told we need to drink more water as there are so many benefits to it and I, like a lot of you I'm sure, normally just ignore what I've been told as it's often too much effort during a busy day to get up and get a glass of water. During winter I want it even less because who wants cold water when there’s tea and coffee to help warm you up? But I decided it’s time I start making some changes and I did a lot of research on the benefits of drinking water and I must admit, I now make sure I drink it everyday. I hope the benefits I’ve listed below will help encourage some of you to swop the tea, coffee and soda for water instead :)

Before I get into the benefits, you need to know how much water to drink each day. Typically we are told we need 8 glasses, but really it varies from person to person. A smaller person would need less water than someone who is bigger so I've found this water requirement calculator which takes your weight into consideration and works out exactly how much you need each day.

Benefits:

1) Weight loss: Drinking about 500ml of water in the morning can boost your metabolism by up to 24%. Water is also a natural appetite suppressant so you'll eat less and it'll wash out the by-products of fat breakdown.

2) Absorption: Drinking water on an empty stomach helps to purify the colon, which makes it easier for nutrients to be absorbed into your system.

3) Healthier, younger looking skin: Water helps to get rid of toxins in your blood which leaves your skin clear and glowing. Water also helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturises skin and increase the elasticity in your skin so having properly hydrated skin will make you look younger (isn't that what every woman wants?!)

4) Better productivity: Because your brain consists of 90% water, drinking more helps you to think better, be more alert, and concentrate a lot better. Being hydrated can also improve your productivity at work and in doing other tasks.

5) Relieves Fatigue: The body uses water to help flush out toxins and waste products that the body doesn’t need. If your body lacks of water your heart and the rest of your vital organs will need to work a lot harder to pump out oxygenated blood to all cells which means your organs will be exhausted and so will you.

6) Can help get rid of headaches and migraines: Headaches, migraines and also back pain can sometimes be caused by dehydration so replenishing your body with water can help. Please note that there are many other reasons that contribute to these ailments, but dehydration is a common one.

7) Less Cramps, Sprains, and Injuries: Drinking water and being properly hyrdrated helps to keep your joints well lubricated which means you are less likely to get cramps, sprains or injure yourself.

There are many other benefits to drinking water, these are just the few that stood out to me and the main reasons I've increased my water intake and I must say, my skin does look better and I feel more healthy all round.

I also found these tips for healthier hair thanks to water so I thought I should share these with you.

1) Prevent hair damage from swimming: With Summer almost here, a lot of us will be spending the hot days by the pool or at the beach and this can really take a toll on your hair. Salty or chlorinated water can turn your hair into a dry, frizzy mess. Rinse your hair with cool water in the shower, under a hose or from a bottle before swimming. The strands will absorb their fill of the clean water and wont be able to soak up as much of the damaging water. After swimming put conditioner on your hair to protect it from the sun.

2) Shinier hair. After washing your hair, give it a final rinse with cool water. The chilly temperature of the water causes the cuticle layer on the strands of your hair to constrict so that it lies flatter, making it smother and more reflective.

I hope these tips and benefits help you all, if you have anymore tips or benefits please comment below and share them with myself and other readers :)

Monday Motivation

Here's a little monday motivation for you all. I promise I will post more workouts and healthy recipes for you all soon. Hope you all have a great week :)

Your Metabolism

I just thought I'd give you all a little information on your metabolism that a lot of us don't know. We always get told about our metabolism but not everyone knows what it really is, so if you didn't know, now you do :)

Metabolism

The Scientific Definition: Metabolism is a collection of chemical reactions that take place in the body's cells. These reactions convert the fuel in the food we eat into the energy we need to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing.

My Definition: The rate at which you burn the calories you consume

Some Facts

 

Any movement you make speeds up your metabolism, even fidgeting

Any increase in your body temperature increases your metabolism by 14% and eating protein seems to do the same thing

When you sleep, your metabolic rate decreases by 10%

When you fast and deprive your body of food for more than 12 hours, your metabolic rate decreases by 40%!

Some of your metabolism is genetic

Getting enough sleep helps to regulate your metabolism

You can control your metabolic rate by:

• Eating steadily throughout the days
• Exercising
• Staying hydrated

Eating certain foods can help to boost your metabolism. Some good foods to include in your diet everyday are:

Exercises For High Heel Lovers

Hello everyone :)

My apologies for not posting in a while, things have just been very hectic and in the little bit of free time I've had, I've been looking for really good workouts to show you guys :)

This workout is one for the ladies. If like me you love your heels, for me the higher they are the better, then you need to read this and do these exercises. While heels look amazing and make your legs look great, they can also cause damage to your body like inflammation of the nerves and long term joint pain. Heels can not only cause injuries to your feet but also to your knees, hips, back and pelvis. Now I'm definitely not saying stop wearing heels, but it is good to know these beautiful shoes can put your body under. Luckily for us heel addicts there are some exercises you can do to help your body out :)

Ankles: You need to strengthen your ankles to prevent you taking a tumble and causing yourself some serious injuries. Good exercises to strengthen your ankles are:
Heel walking- walk on your heels, not only does this strengthen your ankles but your shins as well which will help prevent falls and will stretch out your overworked calves.
Tip-toe walking- walk on your toes (as you would if you had heels on) to strengthen your ankles and calves
Blind balance- stand with your left shoulder close to a wall, close your eyes and lift your right leg up. Touch the wall with your fingertips if you need help to balance. It's hard to balance with your eyes closed so this exercise will work the muscles in your foot and ankle as they'll need to stabilise the wobbly joint.

Achilles Tendons:  Achilles tendonitis — when your Achilles tendon, which attaches to your calf muscle, becomes inflamed, can be caused by switching from heels to flats without stretching. To prevent this happening you need to stretch and strengthen your muscles. A good strengthening exercise is to stand on a step with your heels hanging off the edge and raise yourself up onto your tip toes and quickly drop your heels down.

Balance: Heels give you a lift which presents a challenge to your body's sense of balance. A lot of your muscles are working to keep your body upright and this can result in more pressure being put onto your lower back. A good way to combat this is to do a few yoga moves each day such as standing on one leg and trace the alphabet with the other. A good stretch for your lower back is called "Child's Pose". To do this stretch kneel down and sit back on your heels, then lower your body towards the floor and stretch your arms out in front of you.

Calves: Wearing heels, especially for hours at a time will leave your calf muscles in a shortened position which can lead to weak muscles. To strengthen your calf muscles do these exercises.

Hope these help you ladies :) Happy heel wearing!!

 



The Haute Bunny Workouts

For the past week I have been researching and trying out some workouts to show you guys, and I came across another blog which has really good exercises for toning your arms, giving yourself a brazilian butt lift and getting an itty bitty tummy.

The workout for toning your arms is great as it works your triceps, biceps and your shoulders. I tried it out a few days last week and I could definitely feel the muscles working.

The brazilian butt lift workout is really good. It works your glutes really hard, I couldn't sit the next day after I first did it and maybe it's just my imagination but I kinda feel like my bum is already a bit firmer.

The itty bitty tummy was the hardest for me as I don't have the strongest core but it definitely works. I like that it works all your abdominal muscles including the lower ones as well as your transverse abdominals so your core is getting a really good workout and not only are you flattening your tummy, you're also slimming your waist.

I love The Haute Bunny blog, there are many more great tips and exercises on her blog so go check it out and don't forget to let me know how your workouts are going :)

Let's Get Fit For Summer

Finally it's Spring!! Today is the first day of spring here in South Africa and there's no better time to get your body bikini ready than now :)

Through out the next few months I will post workouts to help you lose any "winter weight", especially in those stubborn places. I also will post healthy recipes for you guys to help you on your journey and I will be trying out the workouts and recipes myself .

My goal is not to be stick thin but to be healthy and I do not believe in doing crazy diets or starving myself to lose weight and 9 times out of 10 when you're on a diet you lose the weight but put it back on once you've stopped dieting. Being healthy is not about dieting or being a size 0, it's a lifestyle, it's a choice to take care of your body and your mind. I plan on keeping this up for as long as I can, not just until the end of summer and I hope you all will too :) I also believe that it's ok to treat yourself every now and then. You don't have to deny yourself your favourite foods all the time, everything is ok in moderation and you'll be fine if you don't over indulge.

My goal is to hopefully look like this by the time Summer arrives...hopefully :)

Throughout these few months, not only will I be giving you the tools to get healthy, but I'll also be here to encourage and motivate you. I know how hard it is sometimes to get up and workout but we'll be thankful in the end that we did it :)

I hope my upcoming posts will help you ladies, please keep me updated on your progress and if you have anything that could help others, please share.

Have a wonderful weekend :)

(Please Note: I am not a personal trainer nor do I claim to be one, I am just sharing exercises with you that I have found to work for me, do them at your own risk!)

Welcome!!

 

Hi there :)

 

My name is Ashleigh and welcome to my blog:) I've created this blog as a means for me to share everything and anything in my life and things that I feel are important to talk about.

 

 

Let me tell you a little about me. I am 22, I live in Durban, South Africa and I am a freelance make-up artist. I love make-up (obviously) and anything bright and I'm a nail polish addict.

 

My brother is studying at Keuka College in America, he's definitely my best friend and I love him with all my heart. Being so far away from him sucks and I miss him terribly but I am so Proud of him for achieving his dream of studying overseas.

 

I have a boyfriend named Shane who means the world to me. He's incredibly funny and makes me laugh so much and makes me so incredibly happy, I couldn't ask for a better man in my life.

 

My mother is my pillar of strength and has been an amazing role model for my brother and I. She has provided for us solely since my father passed away and I love her more than she'll ever know.

 

I hope you guys enjoy reading my blog and please never hesitate to talk to me about anything at all :)

 

Ash

xxx

Sani Valley Lodge

So who doesn't love a romantic weekend away in the Berg in winter? This past weekend I took my boyfriend, Shane, away (yes I took him away, it was his birthday after all) to Sani Valley Lodge. Sani Valley Lodge is situated in Himeville in the Drakensberg, just passed Underberg.

We stayed in one of the Lakeside Lodges which is perfect for a couple on their own or with a child as there is a spare bed. The lodge is beautiful and has everything you would need to make your stay more than comfortable.

There are 3 of the Lakeside Lodges, we stayed in the first one and all of the lodges are serviced daily. The lodge is double story with a bathroom (just a basin and toilet), kitchen with pantry and lounge/dining room. The lounge has a TV with DSTV and a DVD player as well as a fire place and they supply you with wood and matches for the fire. The kitchen contains everything you need including a cutlery, pots and pans, a fridge, microwave and an electrical oven with a stove top that has both electric and gas plates. Downstairs there is also a large deck with a table and benches for when it's warm enough to eat outside as well as loungers and a private jacuzzi.

Upstairs there is the main bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom has a king sized bed and also has a TV which is connected to the downstairs one. In both the bedroom and kitchen there is a kettle with sachets of instant coffee, sugar and milk all being provided for you. The bedroom has two big windows, allowing you to look out at the beautiful views surrounding you and both windows have blinds and blackout blinds to block the sun in the early morning if you want to sleep in, but the sunrises are so beautiful you don't want to miss them.

 Behind the bed is an alcove which has cupboards and a single bed.

The upstairs bathroom is very big and has a vanity are with a large mirror and two basins, a toilet, a large shower and a bath. There is a large window by the bath, allowing you to enjoy the scenery while you relax in the bath. The bathroom also has a heater and a heated towel rail for those colder nights.

When you book your lodge, you have the option of  either self-catering, bed and breakfast or dinner and B&B. Shane and I went for the B&B option and both mornings we walked to the boathouse (which is right by the lodge) where breakfast is served. A table is set for you with a variety of condiments. There is a small selection of cereals and fruit and yogurt as well as tea, coffee and juice for you to help yourself to. There is also a choice of 3 cooked breakfasts for you to choose from all with egg and bacon and some extras depending on which one you choose. You also have the option of having your eggs fried, poached or boiled which I really liked as I am very fussy when it comes to eggs.

There are lots of activities to do at Sani Valley Lodge including hiking, horse riding, boating and fly fishing. We attempted to fish on Saturday but there was so much wind so we didn't try very hard or for too long. There are also bushmen paintings that you can hike to and there is a vulture restaurant where you can watch the vultures feed.

The service was fantastic. I dealt with two ladies, Sindi and Thulile, when I made the booking, both were very friendly and helpful. We checked in with Thulile and she took us down to our lodge and showed us around and explained everything to us. The owner Gareth also came down to the lodge to welcome us.
Overall we had a wonderful experience at Sani Valley Lodge and I would definitely recommend you visit them in the near future if you're looking for somewhere reasonably priced, relaxing and peaceful. I will definitely be going back in the near future.

Ash
xxx