Monthly Archives: November 2013

15 Simple, Effective Tips for Losing Weight

Posted in Fitness Tips, Lifestyle Tips, Nutrition Tips by

IMG_9409-bwHello everybody!

How are you today? For me this weekend is about relaxing and staying inside. Outside is starting to be cold, I think winter is officially here.

At this time of the year, with the holidays and vacations everybody is tempted to eat more, drink more.

So today I have for you a list of some simple and effective tips on how to lose weight or how not to gain weight 🙂

Here is the list:

  1. Low fat foods aren’t guaranteed to make you lose weight – you also have to look at the total number of calories you consume over the course of a day.
  2. Don’t skip breakfast. Eating a meal first thing means consuming 5% fewer calories throughout the day, American researchers have found.
  3. Eat goat’s cheese instead of regular cheese. It contains 40 per cent fewer calories than the cheese made from cow’s milk.
  4. Don’t confuse thirst and hunger. Drink a glass of water when you feel cravings.
  5. If you decide to eat nuts for a snack, then you should select nuts in their shells, including walnuts and peanuts. It will take a longer time to peel off the shells, this will lead to less food consumption.
  6.  Eat muesli two hours before working out to boost fat burning while you train. Slow to digest, muesli takes longer to get through your system, so is less likely to be turned into fat and still gives you a good energy boost.
  7. Chew gum. Sometimes just chewing something with negligible calories in it is all it takes. If you can handle it, chew a piece of gum for one hour. Remember to opt for the sugar-free variety.
  8. On nutritional labels, look for words such as fruit juice concentrate, honey, golden syrup, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, palm sugar, maltose and corn syrup. Why? They’re all forms of sugar.
  9. Find exercise that you enjoy doing. If you don’t like it, you won’t stick with it.
  10. Do not eat three large meals every day. You can easily take in too many calories, resulting in more difficult weight loss. Eat five or six small meals instead
  11. Chewing your food thoroughly will not only make digestion easier, but will allow your body time to recognize when it is actually full, this preventing overeating.
  12. Getting up and away from your desk at work for five minutes every hour will burn 200 calories a day!
  13. Do not skip meals. Your body will revert to starvation mode and store even the tiniest amount of fat content in what you subsequently eat, causing you to slow down your metabolism and put on weight
  14. Start eating chili pepper sauce. These spicy peppers are highly flavourful, and they also give your metabolism a jump-start. As a result, your body will be able to burn more calories. Chili pepper can be used on many foods, including poultry dishes and eggs.
  15. Workout while you are on the phone. Do not sit down when you are having a phone conversation; walk around when doing it. Just get your body moving, and you’d be surprised at how much those calories will add up.

What do you think of these tips? are they helping you? I think yes 🙂

Comment down below.

Have a great day! :*

I was nominated for the Sunshine Award

Posted in Awards by

sunshine-award1Hello my dear readers!

 I am so happy, because last week I was nominated for the Sunshine award by the sweet Abby Carson from Tohealthblog: Welcome to Abby’s Kitchen.  Check out her blog, she is such a sweet girl, she has amazing recipes and very nice photos.

I feel so honoured and grateful and I thank you  Abby, you are too kind.

The fun part about these awards is that you can discover other interesting blogs and bloggers. Everybody who receives an award like this has to nominate other 10 blogs that she/ he appreciates and loves.

Speaking about nominations I would like to pass this award to the following 10 amazing, inspiring and wonderful bloggers, I love all of your blogs and this award just shows my appreciation! Congrats to you all!

For the nominees: Here are the rules for the Sunshine Award, but as always, participation is of course voluntary  🙂

1 Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you.
2 Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back.
3 Answer the same 10 questions given.
4 Nominate up to 10 blogs for the award, a link to their blogs in your post, and notify them on their blogs.
5 Copy and paste the award on your blog somewhere.

My response to the 10 questions:

  • ·         Where would you most likely travel to?

I really love to travel, every year I visit 2-3 places where I have never been before. I adore the beach so for me the sea/ ocean is a priority. I really would like to visit The Maldives, I have seen so many beautiful pictures and documentaries about this place, I really can imagine myself there right now. The second one on my list would be the Hidden Beach in the Marieta Islands near Porto Vallarta , Mexico. If you did not hear about this magical place ( but I’m sure you did) just google it, you will be fascinated for sure. I would love to visit also the amazing beach on the Phi Phi Island in Thailand and my list could go on and on and on…so I better stop right here.

  • ·         Do you have a sweet tooth?

Yes I have, I adore to eat sweet things. Lately I discovered lots of healthy raw cake recipes, so stay tuned, cause I will make some myself.

  • ·         What motivates you to keep blogging?

Definitely my readers. When I see that I inspire someone with my recipes or workouts or health tips, it makes me so happy and motivated. I am so happy that I can help/motivate someone to have a better life, so if you want to make me happy, just send me your feedback, it’s that easy 🙂

  • ·         Who is your favourite comedian?

 I love to laugh, I like funny movies and comedies. I also like stand up comedies (the good ones) but I can’t really name anybody in a special way.

  • ·         What is your favourite outdoor activity?

As you know I’m a sporty girl, so I like everything that involves moving. Like hiking, bike riding, snowboarding, sand volleyball, quad driving, roller skating and last but not least I love roller coasters and amusement parks.

  • ·         Who was your favourite teacher and why?

In high school I loved the world literature teacher, I liked her style of teaching, her personality and her explanations. In University I did not have any special teachers.

  • ·         Do you own any pets? 

Yes I do. I have a 13 year old cocker spaniel, his name is Jimmy. I adore him, he is a real alpha male dog, beautiful and with a strong personality. I will make a post about him some day 🙂

  • ·         Most embarrassing moment in your life?

Well….I have some of those, but I will tell you about the funniest one. Sometimes I can be very clumsy, so once I entered in a very very expensive shop, I slipped and fell down right in the middle of the store, of course everybody was looking…. embarrassing enough? I think so!

  • ·         Where are you from?

I am from eastern Europe, Romania, specifically from Transylvania….yeah I know what you are thinking now, Yes this is the country of Dracula :)))

So that’s it, this was really fun! Now you know me a little bit better. 

Have a great day everybody and don’t forget to check out all these wonderful bloggers I mentioned. 

See you soon! :*

 

Spicy buckwheat veggie risotto

Posted in Recipes by

IMAG4805_1best)Hello everybody!

Here is a great Indian spicy recipe. I adore spicy food, so this one is one of my favourites.

The ingredient list:

  • 1 cup buckwheat soaked overnight
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 clove onion
  • some capers
  • 2 tbsp  of coconut oil
  • Thai curry paste
  • salt

Heat some coconut oil in a pan, add the onions, fry it slowly for about 3-4 minutes than add the carrot and the peppers. After 5 minutes add the minced garlic and let it cook for about 10 more minutes.

When the vegetables have softened add the buckwheat and turn on the heat. The buckwheat  will  now begin to slightly fry, so keep stirring it.

Add a little coconut milk and keep stirring, add a tablespoon of Thai curry paste and salt. Add some more coconut milk and just a little water. Let it boil for 10-15 minutes on a low heat.

When it’s ready add the capers and you excellent meal is ready!

I hope you enjoy this recipe, try it out and tell me how you did.

Have a wonderful day! See you soon!

Quick butt toning home workout video

Posted in Butt& thighs, Workout video by

 

Hello everybody!

If you don’t have time or the mood to go to the gym, but you want to tone up your legs and butt a little, this workout is for you!

Just pay attention to your form, be sure to make all the moves nice and controlled. You are not just lifting your leg, pay attention to squeeze your muscles all the time. Do all these exercises in a raw without any pause on one leg then stretch a little and go on the other leg. Try to do between 15 and 20 repetitions of each movement. Believe me at the end of the workout you will feel it 🙂

Have a great day! :*

Quick delicious smoothie recipe

Posted in Recipes by

smoothiej_2Hey lovely people!

On this picture you can see my delicious breakfast smoothie. If you like it and want to try it out, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup of frozen berries
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup of almond milk
  • some pieces of pineapple for decoration

Just mix it in a blender and you can enjoy it immediately 🙂

Have a great day and a happy weekend! :*

How to stay positive, happy and motivated

Posted in Lifestyle Tips by

PhotoGrid_1383826468256Hello my dear readers!

Today I’m going to write about positivity and some little tips on how to stay motivated in your everyday life!

These tips can help you to become more organized, to achieve your goals easier and to be a happy person!

  1. My first tip is to set goals for yourself. Try to vision how you want your life to be. You can write down your goals on a paper, you can create a vision board with your goals and pictures on it, like places where you want to travel, persons who you like or who would love to meet, things that you want to own, or anything you really really want to achieve. Put this board where you can see it and try to do something, every single day that helps you to get closer to these dreams and goals. This is a great way to keep yourself focused. Another thing is to appreciate all the things you have, and to be thankful for those.
  2.  The next tip is to surround yourself with positivity. Don’t let negative thoughts get in your head and stay there. What I really like to do is read inspirational, motivational quotes. You can make a board with your favorite quotes and every time you see it, you will be inspired. Have your favorite things around you, everything that makes you happy, if you have negative people around you, try to stay away from them. Try to be positive, because as “they” say positivity attracts more positivity, so this may be true 🙂
  3. Try to spend more time doing the things you are passionate about. This could be cooking, photography, hiking, architecture or any kind of sport, whatever it is try to spend more time doing those things. Take a class, learn new things, practice your hobby. You will feel happier more content and this will have a positive affect on you and the people around you.
  4. Tip number four is to be organized, list the things you look forward to the next day, month or next year. Plan your future. Plan a movie night; plan a trip, an appointment to a massage, a dinner party with your friends, a weekend spa. These things are really good in keeping you happy. In life you want to be able to look forward to things. Like you are planning a trip, you are so excited about those things, so when you achieve those things you feel so content because you did that.
  5. My fifth tip is to exercise, yes I know it sounds like a cliché, but exercise is so vital. It keeps your body and mind healthy, it helps you to get rid of the toxins, to have a clear mind, it makes you think better. Exercising does not mean you have to spend hours in a gym on a treadmill, you can go for a jog in a park, you can walk your dog, stay active, play tennis, go to a yoga class or meditate. If you are not active you feel tired and lazy and lifeless, so please be active on a daily basis!
  6. My sixth tip for a healthy happy life is meditation. Just lie down, close your eyes and meditate. For the beginning try just 10-20 or 30 minutes, to clear your mind of everything. You can meditate to the music you like, I actually have a great tip for you, I really like to meditate on Kelly Howell guided meditation – it is so calming and relaxing, you really should try it. You will feel like a new born person.
  7. Tip nr. 7 is to nourish yourself well. Nutrition is so important. Put a little effort and attention on what you are eating and drinking. You have to feel good inside to glow outside too. If you eat clean, without processed foods and chemicals and sugars, drink lots of water, you feel good, your skin is better, your hair is better and your mood is better. It is so important to feel good in your own skin, to love your body. It gives you confidence and a happier you 🙂

These are my 7 most important things at the moment, I could go on and on and have a list of 100 things that makes your life better, but I will stop right here 🙂

I hope you guys enjoyed this little article and I also hope that when you will feel the need for a little motivation, you will try these tips.

Have a great day, and don’t forget “Dreams don’t work unless you do” 🙂

See you soon! :*