Meet Christy. She hates the thought of slipping into swimwear. Frightened and terrified by the thought of getting a bathing suite on. Actually, she’d rather avoid that experience all together. Yet something’s changed…

She’s got a chance to feel and look fabulous on her summer cruise.

After all, she’s got some insider tips from the world’s first plus-size model.

Things like:

• Why you ought to buy a swimming suite that’s one size higher?
• A little trick to make your mid-section look slimmer.
• What kind of swimwear makes your legs look longer.

Have a look… click Play.

Have a great summer,

M. Jamal

P.S. How’s your summer experience so far? Hope you’re getting the most out of it.

About 3 weeks ago I posted the “The Perfect Swimsuit for Your Body” that ran through 10 different styles and tips to help you look most glamorous. Well, today… how about two videos that illustrate those concepts further?

The first video covers:

• How to trick the eyes into seeing an hour-glass figure
• How to draw attention away from the bust-line

And, the second runs through:

• Looking for comfort when shopping for swimwear? Watch this to feel great and avoid looking fat
• Need to be active, maybe run after the kids? Here’s something for you
• Want to have your hips and thighs look ‘less-visible’? Here’s a simple trick

Be sure to check ‘em out if you’re in summer mode and would like to avoid common swimsuit blunders plus look great on the beach…

M. Jamal

P.S. And just when you thought a one-piece wasn’t an option (or even boring)… you ought to stop and check out how Naomi Campbell and Catherine Zeta-Jones make these look flattering. Even more, there are six swimsuits illustrating the style effect: small bust, wide hips, short legs and even what’s best for creating curves. Click here to see it now.

Most of the Western world welcomes summer beginning the second half of the calendar year, and once again, it’s that time of the year to look for swimsuits that would enhance the assets and camouflage the not-so-good areas.

Since bathing suits are seldom classified according to any particular categories such as body types when they’re sold in department stores, it would be easier for you to look through catalogues or surf the Internet for the swimsuit that would look most flattering on you.

Before doing so, you should first look at the guide below to have an idea of which swimsuit style to choose:

Small Bust:

Choose a halter top in any bright color such as pink.

This particular style, or one that dips low at the chest and is tied at the nape, can create a cleavage even when you’re not endowed with one. It’s also possible to wear a one-piece suit, but choose one that is padded at the bustline and has snug-fitting underwiring.

Full Bust:

You’ll know when you fall under this category if your torso is comparatively larger than the bottom half of your body.

A swim tank-type bathing suit helps minimize large breasts, and so would a two-piece swimsuit whose top is darker than the color of its bottom piece. Try a sports top, too, as these keep everything in place (few things are worse than an underwired bikini top which can’t quite hold things in place). They also keep you more comfortable, knowing you have full coverage.

Small Bottom:

Purchase a suit with a ruffle-hemmed bottom or use a mini-sarong and tie at hip level when out of the water.

Large Bottom:

If you have the so-called pear or triangle shape, attention must be drawn away from the lower half of your body.

To do this, go for a swimsuit with special detail on the chest area.

It could be anything such as a tie bow or a crest, which help to create a more balanced figure. You may go for a deeper neckline or extra padding, and side ruching at the outer edge of the bust creates interest around this area rather than on your lower torso.

Alternatively, you can camouflage your problem area with a skirted bottom, if you feel that covering your hips and thighs would make you feel more comfortable.

Boyish Figure:

When you don’t have enough curves, look for styles that would give the illusion of an hourglass figure.

One good design is a one-piece suit that is cut off at the sides but with material covering the middle of your torso. Choose printed swimsuits instead of plain ones, and go for the large prints, especially florals and wide lines.

Avoid solid black pieces as these would tend to make flat even flatter.

Full, Round Figure:

A one-piece bandeau will give the illusion of height and at the same time slims the figure.

Attention is drawn to the chest area, balancing the look, and its strapless nature makes you look even sexier.

Plus Sizes:

Women with plus sizes simply shy away from the beach or wrap themselves like mummies in sarongs, but this shouldn’t be the case.

All you have to do is find a swimsuit with a busy print to distract the eyes. Choose those with two or three colors only, and the prints can be geometric shapes or lines – anything but large circles.

If you have a belly bulge, do stay away from two-piece numbers.

Instead, find an empire-waist swimsuit to emphasize the bust line and conceal the belly area.

V-necklines are recommended to draws the eyes up, towards the bust and the neck and face. You can also look for tummy-control swimsuits to help firm your mid-portion.

Wide Shoulders:

To keep them looking more proportional, select a swimsuit with thick straps. You can also use halter tops in dark colors to draw the eyes towards the center of your body.

Petite:

Refers to women 5’4” and below. The best swimsuits are monochrome plain ones with smooth, lean lines and minimal detailing.

Short Legs:

Instead of trunk-style swimsuits, choose a raised leg cut such as French-cut numbers to elongate your legs. In addition, it’s better to wear one-piece suits in solid colors which don’t break up the body but rather give an elongated illusion.

Maintain a good posture and don’t try to hide a large bust, for instance, by arching your back.

If you find the right type of swim wear, carry it proudly.

Most types of swimsuits would look good on any person when worn with confidence.

M. Jamal

The nearly uncontrollable urge to put unhealthy food in your mouth is physiological in nature, and it has to do with the reward system in our brains.

The moment you pop the food you’re craving for into your mouth, your brain releases the chemical dopamine, which is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter.

Upon its release, a feeling of satisfaction and happiness is experienced.

This is why we’ve heard of psychologists wanting to treat obesity at the root, which is first finding out why patients are depressed or stressed out.

Patients tend to deal with their problems by giving in to their cravings – and worse, gorging – and end up gaining weight uncontrollably or contracting diseases in the process.

Cravings In Pregnant Women:

In a survey conducted by the site, www.babycenter.com.uk, it was found that 40% of the respondents yearned for sweets, 33% chose salty food, 17% wanted to get a fill of things spicy, while the rest had a hankering for sour stuff.

There are theories linking pregnant women’s cravings for what their body needs at the time.

For instance, they say that chocolate cravings are to fill the need for B vitamins, red meat cravings are to satisfy the need for protein, and one who can’t get enough of peaches may be running low on beta-carotene.

Still, if this theories were true, then all pregnant women should be craving fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables, shouldn’t they?

The physiology of cravings and their origin in pregnant women, therefore, is still largely unexplained, but because they almost always disappear after childbirth, it’s the everyday cravings that concern researchers more.

Why Cravings Can Be Harmful:

Studies have shown that women are twice more likely to be affected by food cravings than men, and these are usually preceeded by feelings of depression or ennui.

Men, on the other hand, tended to crave certain types of food when they’re happy – think celebrating after a won game or a promotion!

The implication here is that when women diet, they tend to become depressed about the minuscule portions they are allotted and their desire to eat the foods they miss becomes so intense.

In relation to the theory on cravings in pregnant women discussed above, it’s also possible that a woman on a crash diet who has become deficient in sugar glucose will binge on foods considered unhealthy because of their high sugar content.

Most crash diets, therefore, rarely succeed because once a dieter had gone through the requisite duration, they inevitably give in to all the cravings they have held back for so long.

Simple Ways To Curb Cravings:

1. Acknowledge the craving and “partly” give in.Experts from Tufts University believe that rather than ignore it, it’s better to give in – with a little control.

   Say, for instance, you can’t help yearning for a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia before watching a new DVD release, indulge in a cone serving instead of buying a tub.

   Don’t buy a tub and leave the rest in your freezer – it will only call out to you in the middle of the night.

   Practice restraint, not deprivation.
   

2. Think of other happy thoughts.Craved food isn’t the only dopamine releaser.

   You also stimulate feel-good hormones when you exercise. While exercising strenuously, you can experience a stage known as runner’s high – when you’re taken to a point beyond a threshold which activates the production of feel-good hormones.

   You can also imagine a relaxing day at the beach and enjoy a fruit shake instead.

3. Learn to substitute. Speaking of swapping overly sweet or salty foods for healthy shakes, you can curb cravings effectively by looking for food items that may taste the same but are less harmful to your body.

   Instead of a tub of richly buttered caramel popcorn, for instance, you can go for Lesser Evil “SinNamon” kettle corn or pop your own kernels at home using some olive oil and just a touch of kosher salt.

Finally, never discount the power of suggestion.

Perhaps just by reading the food items in this article, your cravings had just become worse!

This means that you should avoid watching the Lifestyle Channel with all those cooking shows, if you can help it. Keep away from magazines plastered with advertisements of luscious desserts.

And if you can’t avoid the wonderful smells of that corner bakeshop on your way to work every day, always have a muesli or granola bar ready in your jacket pocket.

M. Jamal

P.S. Talking about the ‘partly give in’ concept, have you tried substituting raisins for chocolate? I tend to do this on those nights when I’m working late and just have to get some sweets.

Cherries work nicely too. I tend to grab a bunch, close the fridge… eat ‘em… and… somehow restrain myself from going to back to the fridge right away. (Well, it’s more like promising myself NOT to open the fridge after one minute)

I’d give myself some 15 minutes or so and then decide if I really need a second serving. Usually that doesn’t happen.

What’s your food cravings like? Sweet? Salty? And… have you figured out any tips that help you avoid over-indulging? Would love to hear your thoughts…

It’s estimated that nurses walk 986 steps an hour while lawyers take 633 steps per hour. And secretaries would put in some 4,327 steps a day (that’s 2.7 km, 1.6 miles).

So, how many calories can you expect to burn?

Well, that depends on your walking speed, intensity, weight, whether you’re walking up an incline and so forth. It’s not an exact science, yet it’s estimated that an average person burns around 100 calories per 2,000 steps (that’s 1.6 km, 1 mile)

And… when you consider that typing and e-main and hitting send is estimated to burn around 9.5 calories… versus 19 calories for walking to a co-worker’s office and handing him documents… it’s easy to see that walking is one of the simplest ways to get “Active”.

I mean, you can always step it up into a jog, rope skipping (or even a full blown fitness program) in a few weeks.

I’ve personally known lots of women who cringe at the thought of joining a gym yet won’t mind spending an hour walking outdoors in a pleasant environment. (Have you noticed this as well?)

And… what’s the most important item to consider before walking?

Yep, a good pair of shoes.

It’s estimated that you’ve got to replace sneakers after running 300 to 500 miles or doing 300 hours of aerobic activities.

Yet… what else should you look for in a good pair of walking shoes?

Well, here’s two useful resources to check out:

• 8 Tips To Selecting The Right Walking Shoes
• There’s No One Shoe That’s Good For All

M. Jamal

P.S. Shoe technology that rolls through your foot!
If you’re on your foot all day here’s an interesting kind of shoe worth a look. (Have you seen these?)

This video runs through:

• How this kind of shoe relieves strains on joints by simulating walking barefoot on sand.
• How conventional shoes and striking heal-toe causes an unnatural forwarded tilted stance eventually causing back and joint problems.
• How it gets more muscles engaged.
• How pressure distribution across the sole of the foot is maximized.

If you feel that you’re not burning enough calories when walking, don’t be discouraged.

Walking is not meant to burn as much fat as, say circuit training or contact sports would. It’s recommended, though, for people who are new at fitness, those recuperating from an illness or those with mild ailments, and almost every individual who wants to meet the minimum workout in a day.

You can also get the most out of walking by following these three simple but useful tips:

1) When:

Don’t dismiss walking as a type of workout that you can take up anytime you want.

When you devote as much time and effort to walking as you would to your other workout programs, you’ll begin to see wonderful results in terms of cardiovascular health and muscle tone.

To motivate you to make fitness walking a regular part of your schedule, jot down your walking exercises on a journal.

The optimum frequency is three to five times a week for about 15 minutes to an hour. Keep a record of your heart rate target zone and try to achieve that each time.

If you can’t do more than 15 minutes per session, increase the frequency to about 2-3 sessions of 15 minutes each. Don’t just squeeze your walking exercise in; try to schedule it in advance to give it some priority.

2) Where:

There are certain places that are not conducive to walking for fitness.

For instance, people who live in highly urbanized areas where parks or safe walking paths are few and far between may find it difficult to stick to a schedule. European cities, for instance, are more welcoming to “walkers” because of the vast plazas and less polluted city streets.

You can ask around your area about joggers and try to find the places they frequent.

High school tracks are a good alternative. Industrial parks are also conducive for walking because of their wide, well-paved, and flat streets and sidewalks.

You might also be able to find a golf course near your place, and though it may not be flat, it’s highly beneficial if you want to improve your fitness levels.

Walking uphill can build leg muscles and make you stronger.

One extra benefit is you’ll get to enjoy the wonderful landscape while you’re walking. If you find the inclines too steep, try zigzagging up or down the paths.

Don’t discount the benefit of mall-walking either – you won’t feel forced into exercising if you’re window shopping at the same time. You’ll be surprised at how much distance you’ll get to cover in an afternoon of walking around the mall!

The best thing is you’re also moving around in a pollution-free environment.

3) How:

Dr. Suki Munsell, developer of the Dynamic Walking technique, recommends the “shirt pull,” which stretches your spine to keep you from slouching.

While you’re walking, cross both of your arms in front of you at the waist level.

Next, raise both arms in a movement simulating the pulling up of a shirt and lift arms e them over your head. Extend your torso and your arms, as if trying to reach for something overhead. Lower your arms and allow your shoulders drop into their normal position. Repeat this often in the course of your walk.

Try to follow the correct posture, too. To avoid an unnatural arch in the back known as the “sway back,” pull in your abs and squeeze your buns at the same time. Breathe better by sticking your chest out while walking.

Sway your hips while walking.

Since hips are usually unwieldy, it would help if you improve their flexibility by regularly stretching your lower back muscles and hip flexors. Keep your head up and assume a slightly forward lean from the ankles.

Swing your arms naturally with relaxed shoulders. Don’t draw up your shoulders toward your ears. Your arms should be bent at the elbows at an approximately 90-degree angle.

M. Jamal

P.S. How about a few more tips… things like: When’s the best time to buy walking shoes? What to look for in walking shoes? Should you use or skip weights when walking?

Sure, it’s all in this video. Check it out: