Dolce-Dolce

Fabulous - fast and forever

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:09:16 +0000

Do you look and feel fabulous? Well darlings, you should. Life is too short to go around feeling less than your best, less than other women, less than fabulous. And it isn’t necessary.

Even a gorgeous diamond ring starts to look tacky and dull if no one cleans it. And we all know what happens to a fine antique left uncared for – cracks develop. But, if you clean the ring and buff up the antique, voila - magic happens! Well darlings, we are much the same as those precious objects.

Looking and feeling fabulous begins with the right attitude, a good diet, and sound sleep. Exercise is vital too. Research has shown we can change our DNA and extend our lives with exercise. If, like me, you are not a jock or do not have hours to work out, do not despair. You can break up exercise into manageable blocks of 10 and 20 minutes, and it still counts. You can slip in a 10-minute DVD workout in the morning, a 20-minute walk at lunch, and another 10 to 15 minutes of yoga before bed. Before you know it, you’ll have 40 minutes of beauty-making exercise. Get to a class or two a week, and you will soon have a new body.

Here are a few of the latest scientifically-proven ways to look fabulous fast and forever. Try one or two of them - or try them all.

Try Pilates to trim

Pilates has long been a favourite of dancers, models, and actresses because it can reshape and trim bodies without developing bulging muscles. Pilates devotees have strong and shapely bodies.

Now, June Kloubec, a professor at BastyrUniversity in the state of Washington, has published a study showing the clear benefits of Pilates. Kloubec is a core faculty member in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science, and her work appeared in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

25 subjects participated in the study, in a one-hour Pilates class twice a week for 12 weeks. When they began, the active middle-aged participants were able to do an average of 24 push-ups on their knees. By the end of the 12 weeks of Pilates, they were able to do an average of 35 push-ups. A similar 25-person control group in the study could do only an average of 20.5 push-ups at the start of the study. At the end of the study they were able to average only 21 push-ups each. The study also showed that the Pilates group had a significant improvement abdominal strength and lower-body flexibility.

Pilates was once almost prohibitively-expensive. Now, many studios in most major cities offer classes in mat and small-group instruction on equipment at more affordable prices of about $25 per class. In addition, there are scores of good DVDs. I recently began Pilates classes. I noticed a difference in both my strength and silhouette after only a few weeks. Proper form is vital to Pilates, so try to take least a few classes.

Don’t underestimate any effort you make as long as you are committed. DVDs work, if you find the right “virtual teacher”. A friend of mine just clicked with a trainer on fit TV. She told me Gilad, the tough Israeli trainer, can get her to do those last few killer reps. I am currently hooked on Body by Bethenny. I’m also thinking abut a Pilates Stick by http://www.peakpilates.com/peak-pilates-shop/pilatesstick.asp.

Eat breakfast

Experts agree that breakfast is important for both weight loss and energy. Numerous studies show that women who eat breakfast are thinner and have less trouble losing weight. Hate breakfast food? So do I, but there are many other good things to eat in the morning. Eat a piece of whole wheat toast and some fresh fruit with an egg or low-fat cottage cheese.

Breakfast is the time to eat a healthy carb that is filling, such as whole grain bread or oatmeal. Top oatmeal with sweet and healthful berries. Have a low-cal smoothie made with fresh or frozen berries, no fat yogurt or skim milk, and a sweetener of your choice. Try low or no-fat cottage cheese with fresh fruit or salsa. Hard-boiled eggs or egg white omelets are fast and easy. Try them with low-calorie tomatoes. Eat breakfast. Martha Stewart sometime eats like the Japanese and has a piece of salmon. I also like this treat from time to time.

Be fabulous and exotic at breakfast, but eat and exercise to start your day.

Blueberries are beauty berries

Blue berries are full of anti-oxidants that are so good for you that some doctors call them brain-berries. I call them beauty-berries. Anti-oxidants are important for longevity and aging well. Oxidative damage to our bodies is not unlike rust on a car; it wears down our vital organs. It occurs as we use oxygen and is made worse by stress, sun exposure, smoking, and other environmental factors. Anti-oxidants help defend the body, reverse the damage, and slow the aging process.

My favourite way to eat them is frozen, alone, or in plain yogurt. I think freezing them makes them taste sorbet-like. And it is easy to take a small bowl of pre-washed frozen berries from my freezer for snacks or to flavour plain yogurt. Never buy fruit yogurt. It has too much sugar/sweeteners, and too little fruit. Buy bags of frozen berries and add to your own low or no-fat yogurt.

Get your Omega 3

Omega 3 oils help keep skin looking youthful and firm. Chances are your family doctor already told you how important Omega 3 oils are for your heart and brain. They help to keep you young and beautiful inside and out! Omega 3 oils can even help prevent serious sun damage such as precancerous skin lesions, according to a recent Australian study.

The results of that study have some doctors calling salmon a natural sunscreen because of its high Omega 3 oil content.

All types of salmon are excellent sources of Omega 3. You will want to watch the amount of tasty smoked salmon you consume because of its high salt content. Tinned salmon has undeserved bad reputation. It is very healthful and usually made from high-quality wild salmon, a good source of Omega 3 and calcium. It is delicious in salad with lemon and chopped fresh vegetables. If you like shellfish, it too is rich in the healthful Omega 3. And don’t worry if you have heard it is high in cholesterol; it is not a problem, unless your doctor has told you not to eat it. Experiment with small fish such as herring, trout, and black cod - they are good sources of Omega 3. Walnuts, almonds, and flaxseed are also excellent sources of Omega, if you dislike fish. Experts recommend at least three servings of Omega-rich foods a week. Sushi and sashimi are good, but use low-sodium soy sauce or Ponzu in small amounts. Also eating too much of certain large fish, such as tuna can pose a risk of mercury poisoning, so enjoy but limit your consumption.

Brew a beauty booster

If you would like to lose weight, have beautiful skin, and stay young and healthy, drink green tea. It has so many beauty benefits; it should be called the beauty brew.

Green tea can help to boost your metabolism and give you a little lift. So try some hot or iced tea to conquer late afternoon munchies or fatigue.

Green tea contains catechins, a compound of potent anti-oxidant. According to the latest scientific studies, green tea may even be able rejuvenate dying skin cells! It can also help protect skin against UV damage from sun exposure.

Studies in The Journal of Nutrition show that green tea, when combined with exercise and diet can help to burn belly fat.

I drink at least a liter of green tea a day. Because it benefits skin when applied topically, I take a few seconds to place cooled used tea bags on my face before I toss them out.

Suck a lemon

Collagen is what holds you face up and help your joints work smoothly. After age 35, we start to lose collagen. After age 60, collagen levels plummet. Vitamin C is essential for good healing, but it is also is necessary for the natural production of collagen. Your body can’t store Vitamin C, so it is important to replenish your supply of it daily. If you drink, smoke, are under stress, or party too much, you will need even more Vitamin C to undo damage to your cells.

To keep your face firm and your body moving smoothly, think C! You can take a supplement, but experts say natural is best. My solution is to squeeze low-cal and delicious lemon on everything.

Topical Vitamin C creams are also very effective, but lemon juice is too harsh to apply directly to your face.

Sleep

Not sleeping enough can make you fat, old, tired, careless, and crabby. Darlings, get to bed and go to sleep! Enough excuses; do it. If you can’t sleep, see a doctor; they can help with new behavior modification techniques, natural sleep medication, and a host of effective solutions.

You may have noticed that I didn’t mention a single beauty product in this list of tips. I adore fabulous lotions and potions! We review the best every week. But so much of how you look and feel comes from how you feel about you.

Stress ages you. It steals your youth. Life can be trying, but often we stress about things we can’t control and don’t really matter in the long run.

Learn to shut off the noise. Turn-off emails, texts, and facebook after an hour. Get out and see people or a movie. Or, stay home and read a book. Relax! Get rid of the toxic people in your life. My favourite diet is the one when you lose a hundred pounds or more instantly by dropping a poison person from your life. Darlings, if someone makes you tense, angry or upset, ask yourself why this person is in your life? If they’re not your boss, parent, spouse or child – get away from them. You’ll look and feel better instantly.

You deserve to look and feel fabulous, and you can! Your beauty is a precious gift –nurture it. Then my darlings, go out and enjoy it.

Why women turn against women

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:57:07 +0000

Dr. Jill Murray is a nationally recognized expert on domestic violence and teen dating abuse. In this exclusive commentary, she shares her thoughts about the unfolding drama involving the actor Mel Gibson and his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. Dr. Murray shares important insights about women and domestic abuse that affect us all. Don’t miss a word of this important and eye-opening expert opinion:

By Dr. Jill Murray

The child custody case between Mel Gibson and his estranged girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva’s has become a circus. In the center ring we have Mel Gibson. He is ranting at his child’s mother that she deserves to be sexually assaulted. He is particularly angry with her because she dared not indulge his desire for blowjobs at all hours of the day and night. Mel also growls, pants, and spits as he makes fun of her breasts. In ring number two, there is Oksana Grigorieva, her front teeth allegedly chipped by her former beloved. She is also the one who taped their angry conversations and allegedly made them public. He sent her a text message apologizing. In the third ring is Mel’s discarded wife, Robin. She has pronounced Mel an exemplary husband and father, even though he was apparently cheating on her with Oksana.

It’s such a fantastic show, that the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus pales in comparison. The Mel and Oksana drama has dominated the entertainment media. And there is no shortage of opinion as to who is to blame.

Gibson’s attorneys state that their client is a mild-mannered, good natured Aussie. They say he contributes millions to charities and that he wouldn’t hurt a flea. He certainly wouldn’t harm the mother of his young daughter. After all, he gives money to domestic violence causes and children’s hospitals; doesn’t that prove he is innocent? It is hard to believe the former “Sexiest Man Alive” would say all those vile things, isn’t it? Mel’s lawyers further hypothesize that Oksana doctored the taped conversations. They claim that she’s a complete nut-job – that she is actually the problem.

To some this may be compelling evidence of Gibson’s innocence. I find it merely more fodder for yet another sideshow. Personally, I don’t care if she altered 90 percent of the tapes. Is there anything of merit in the other 10 percent? What about the section in which he yells, “I own you. You’re nothing. You have to listen to me; I’m Mel.”

Even if we disregard the many racial slurs, demeaning comments about her body, and misogynistic statements, why are so many turning against the victim, Oksana?

The idea that Gibson is now being portrayed as the victim and Oksana as troublemaker is not new. We’ve seen it before, most recently in the Chris Brown and Rihanna case. Remember when she was pitied, as photos of her battered and bruised face became public? We heard about his biting her, threatening to throw her out of their moving car, and even making a death threat? That lasted about a week before the common refrain became, “Well, she must’ve done something to deserve it.” What in the world does a woman do to deserve being treated like that?

Well, ladies and gentlemen, here we are again. Oksana is being portrayed not as a woman done wrong, but as a woman who has done wrong. Her biggest detractors are women. But that’s always the case. I’ve heard critical comments from many of my intelligent, accomplished female pals. They say things like, “You can tell from those tapes that she’s just pushing his buttons”, or, “Listen to her voice; she sounds like a robot. She’s doing it purposely to ramp him up”, or, “She’s trying to hold him up for ransom. She had a kid with him so she can soak him for everything he’s got.”

How did this happen? As a gender, how did women decide that the man on those tapes - one who is so ridiculously out-of-control - is a saint? Why are other women so quick to condemn the woman trying to calm him down and speak logically to him as the sinner? Perhaps, most folks listening to those tapes don’t understand that the way in which Oksana was talking to Gibson is how a woman talks to a big-league abuser. She gets very soft, she tries to reason with him, she attempts to make him understand that she’s not the horrible person he accuses her of being, and that what he’s telling her is demeaning and hurtful.

Those who condemn her say, “She can just hang up, you know. She must like the way he talks to her. She probably gets off on it; otherwise she could have left whenever she wanted to.” The last comment came from a female, a high-level lawyer and friend of mine. Unless you understand the dynamics of abusive relationships, it’s very difficult to understand that what we’re hearing on those phone tapes. The conversations are typical of an abuser and his victim. Sure, women can certainly be abusive to men. But, as an expert, that is not what I ‘m hearing when I listen to these tapes.

The Mel and Oksana drama has become entertainment fodder – The Greatest Show on Earth. I think it is pathetic. You decide, but just remember: when women choose to kick each other when we’re down, when we don’t watch each other’s backs, and when we choose to victimize the victim, we all lose.

Dr. Jill Murray is a practicing psychotherapist and bestselling author. She has appeared on 20/20, The Today Show, Oprah, Dr, Phil, and other forums to help women understand the danger of domestic and teen dating abuse.

http://www.drjillmurray.com/

Catch Jill’s show for teens. She is the leading authority on teen dating abuse.

http://www.drjillandjudgepamshow.com/

A gentler line eraser

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:49:42 +0000

If you have tried retinols and been discouraged by redness and irritation, then you may want to try the new Avène Rétrinal 0.05 and 0.1 Creams. They are specially-designed, with a patented type of retinal called Retinaldehyde and Vitamin E to help reduce lines without irritation. Retinaldehyde is one of most effective and non-irritating forms of Vitamin A.

Used at bedtime, Avène Rétrinal Creams can help to diminish fine lines and wrinkles, even skin tone, as well as improve radiance and help to reverse UV photo damage.

Avène is often recommended by dermatologists and skin specialists for its effective and soothing products.

www.aveneusa.com and from doctors.

Avène is available in Canada from doctors and in better drugstores.

Feel like a natural woman

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:49:18 +0000

If you’ve been looking for an all-natural lip gloss that actually shimmers and shines, search no further. Mad Gab’s Lip Shimmers actually look as pretty as their more traditional counterparts. They are made with olive oil, mango butter, shea butter, and a touch of colour. The names are kooky. I tried Bear Shimmer in Plumand it gave my lips a rosy colour and bit of a shimmer. They also have a minty taste. The glosses are small, but they only cost $5.

www.madgabs.com

Save your shoes

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:42:50 +0000

How many shoes have you ruined from driving? You know how the back of the heel gets scuffed and dirty from resting on the floor of a car - even with carpets. Shoe Angels are reusable heel protectors for your good shoes. They come in two shapes to fit any type of heels. You just press them on and drive. Then peel them of when you get where you are going. Tests have shown the adhesive won’t damage even your finest shoes. The product was developed by two women who experimented with their own shoes!

The peel-off protectors fit into a cute metal business card style case. Prices range from $7.95 to $20.

www.myshoeangels.com

Perfect pick me up

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:53:56 +0000

Are you having a big night out with your honey, but feeling and looking dreary? Try a mask to perk up your face and spirits. A gentle hydrating mask can do wonders for a tired face. Elizabeth Grant’s Cucumber Gel Mask contains soothing botanical extracts of cucumber as well Elizabeth Grant’s anti-aging ingredient Torricelumn. I love this soothing and calming mask; it leaves my skin soft, refreshed, and dewy. It’s the perfect pick-me-up before a night out. This is also the perfect soothing mask for dry, red sun abused skin. It rehydrates and plumps without irritation.

www.elizabethgrant.com

Hot hair trend

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:50:04 +0000

Update your look with this romantic fall hair trend. Put your hair into a loose updo. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect, that is part of the charm. Add a glittered hair band for a straight-from-the-runway touch.

Mezze party platter

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:36:24 +0000

Having people over for drinks doesn’t have to be an onerous project. Serving Middle Eastern appetizers called Mezze can be an easy and delicious solution for last-minute entertaining. Many of the tasty ingredients can be kept in your pantry or freezer for spontaneous, stress-free entertaining. You can buy stuffed grape leaves, bright pink pickled turnips (they are delicious), olives, and even canned hummus and baba ghanousch at many good groceries or a Middle Eastern market. You can keep mini pita in your freezer to add to the plate. I added feta cheese, but no one would miss it if you didn’t.

I recommend draining the oil from the grape leaves and then covering them with a bit of fresh lemon. Fresh lemon perks up many canned or pre-made things from the shops and makes them “your own”. Remember darlings, so few people entertain any more, so making an effort these days is always appreciated. Get some wine, beer and bar basics. Don’t forget lots of cocktail napkins. Get good ones, they are everywhere these days. Coloured cocktail picks or fancy bamboo picks are good too, if you aren’t using forks. And if you don’t have a good ice bucket, get one - and plenty of ice. Handsome buckets in aluminum cost a song at a big box store or online. And you’ll want some non-alcoholic mixers too! Have fun - it’s a party! And don’t forget some snazzy music on your iPod or CD player. Keep it soft and sexy!

I like to make my own hummus. It takes only minutes and tastes fresh. It is easy with cans of organic chick peas kept in the pantry. Most people love it.

Hummus

In a food processor or blender, add:

1 or 2 crushed cloves of garlic
1 can of can of rinsed organic chick peas

Juice of two lemons

½ cup sesame oil

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp chicken stock, preferably organic. Add it slowly to thin the hummus to your taste. It lightens it and does not add calories.

1 tsp salt - or to taste

½ tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Blend until smooth

Taste and correct seasoning

Decorate the top of the hummus with a little paprika or some olives.

You!

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:32:06 +0000

Too many of us have reams of reasons as to why we cannot find time to take care of ourselves. Stop it, because my darlings you are the only ones who can. You can choose to eat food will make you feel and look fabulous. You can find time to walk a bit, to do some yoga or Pilates, and to create a vision of yourself. But you need to do it; no one can do it for you! Darlings, life should be sweet, take the time to make it that way.

Until next week, please sign-up if you haven’t already or email your info to domore@dolcedolce.com and I’ll do it for you! DolceDolceis free. And please forward us to all your friends. And please give us your comments by emailing us at the same address. We want to know what you think. Let’s start the conversation!

NB: A fabulous free fitness event on Tybee Island Tybee Throws A Fit! September 4th! I adore Tybee. Go of you are in the area, lots of fun, fitness and celebrity trainers!

www.tybeethrowsafit.com

Gracey Hitchcock

Editor

Photo by: www.yanka.ca