GUILTY! A Look Into The Most Common Fashion Mistakes Committed By Middle-aged Women

They say that 40s is the new 30s and I guess most women will agree with that.  Middle-age is not considered now as a time in women’s lives to go all frumpy and dowdy but a time to reinvent themselves.  There are many options available now, especially in the realm of fashion, to middle-aged women for them to still look good and feel good. 

But even with these various opportunities for women nowadays, there are still those who still commit fashion mistakes that would induce anybody to raise an eyebrow.  The challenge to still look good and appealing even with maturing age is not an easy one; but it is also not an impossible task, to say the least.

Fashion trends keep on changing year after year and most middle-aged women can’t keep up with these.  There are many reasons why women commit these fashion mistakes but let us just take a look at the most common fashion mistakes committed by some middle-aged women.  If you are guilty  of at least one, it may be time to reconsider your fashion style and to overhaul your wardrobe.

v                 Short hemlines and deep necklines.  Showing too much flesh with short hemlines and deep necklines is a big no-no when you are in your late 40s up, most especially if these are in one outfit.  Whether middle-aged women like it or not, wrinkled and/or saggy flesh comes with maturing age.  If you still have great “assets”, it is better to balance it out; if your hemline is a little short, for example, dress up with a full coverage top and vice versa.  But an absolute rule here is to avoid very short hemlines and very deep necklines, period.

v                 Frilly pink things.  Anything frilly is for babies and little girls, especially those that come in various hues of pink, of the sweet cotton candy pink variety.  But if some women think that frilly prink dresses and blouses make them look younger, then they’re in for a big disappointment. 

v                 Super tight trousers/pants and leggings.  Skinny jeans and the like are in, some middle-aged women jump in into the fashion bandwagon.  But unless one is tall and well-built for such garment, one should totally avoid it altogether.  Instead, opt for well-cut pants of good material as these can go well with almost any top.  As for leggings, it is best to wear them under tunics and dresses. 

v                 See-through and fish net blouses.  I have seen many middle-aged women who sport this kind of outfit and I couldn’t help but cringe.  I think they’re so downright tacky and very unflattering. 

v                 Bra straps peeking out.  There had been a time when bra straps peeking out, especially colored ones, have been a fashion trend but it did not last long.  I guess it is excusable to see a teen-ager or a twenty-something with bra straps peeking out of their tank tops but I think it would be tacky for a forty-something.

v                 Shorts or culottes.  These garments generally look good on young people but women in their late 40s or early 50s can still wear them…as long as they’re at home.  They should avoid wearing them when they go out especially when they don’t have the legs to carry it off.  Women’s legs show signs of aging during middle age and get a little saggy in some parts so shorts or culottes would be generally unflattering at this age.

v                 Overdone makeup.  Some women think that if they hide their wrinkles, crow’s feet, and the like by dumping pounds of various makeups on their faces, they will look younger.  But doing so only creates the opposite.  There are ways in applying makeup to get the desired effect.  It is not a case of ‘the more the better” but of the right amount at the right place.  Also, remember that very bold makeup colors should be avoided at all cost.

v                 Too much plastic surgery.  Many women want to hide the fact that they are getting older and many would opt for plastic surgery to hide the signs of aging on their faces.  Pinched noses and artificial-looking facial features brought about by plastic surgery only highlights the fact that natural beauty is more beautiful than one created by science.  And really, it is not the face alone that experiences aging.  Even if the face looks younger, the sagging flesh in other parts of the body will still be a testament of maturing age.

v                 Getting a tattoo.  This is not to discriminate middle-aged women from getting a tattoo as anybody of legal age who can decide for herself can get a tattoo anytime.  But ostentatious and big tattoos that really show off and screams “Hey, I just got a tattoo!” would not really look good on any woman especially at middle age.  If you really want to get one, have it done in some discreet place or body part that is not usually exposed to public eye.  Another thing, remember that tattoos are not fashion accessories that will go well with everything.

v                 Wearing heavy perfumes or colognes.  As a general rule, this is a big no-no for women of any age.  Doing so is, I’m sorry to say, very irritating.  But I have noticed that older women are more predisposed to this and to wearing rather strong musky scents.  If I may say, wearing heavy perfumes or colognes only make middle-aged women seem older.

Aging is something nobody can totally hide.  Instead of masking it up, why not let age take its course and go gracefully with it and with style?  For starters, stick to the classics.  You can also experiment on various fashion styles, especially the latest ones, and choose outfits that look good on you.  As a rule, whatever that carefully hides your flaws and emphasizes your assets are good for you.

3 Great Reasons Why You Should Buy Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Gloves

Soccer gloves are a must for soccer players, whatever the position they may be playing.  There are many kinds of soccer gloves that are suitable for any position, whether you are a goalie or a field player.  However, the most common type of soccer gloves available in the market is the goalie soccer gloves.  These soccer gloves are available with different special features, depending on their brand and model. 

Soccer gloves are also available in a wide range of prices.  Aside from considering your budget, the kind of soccer gloves that you should buy depends on your activity.  If you are just into soccer for leisure and you only play occasionally, it would be okay to buy cheap soccer gloves.  If you are playing in a competition, then you should look for soccer gloves that are durable and with the special features that you need.  Durability and performance are very important considerations if you are a serious athlete.  There are also soccer gloves that are most suitable when training and there are those that are best suited for competitions.

With the many kinds of soccer gloves available in the market today, every soccer player must have a hard time choosing the best pair for them.  This year, the Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Keeper Gloves stands out as a finalist in Buzzillion’s Reviewers’ Choice 2011.  Here are some of the reasons why you should seriously consider the Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Keeper Gloves for your next soccer game:

1.  Unique Special Features.  Two of the best known features of Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Keeper Gloves are its HyperPro Tech non-removable finger braces and Giga Grip German 3.5 mm latex palm suitable for all playing conditions.  According to Sondico, the Giga Grip German 3.5 latex palm feature ensures “superior tackiness in all conditions.”

2.  Protection and Performance.  Sondico has also developed its Pure Pro Tech Roll technology in its Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Gloves to offer a full latex backhand and gun cut stitch or rolled finger for players to be in a better position to make those tough saves.  This special feature of these Sondico soccer gloves will greatly help enhance the performance of every goal keeper.

The Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Gloves also protects the tip of a keeper’s hand through its thumb wrap feature.  These soccer gloves also features a full length elastic bandage wrist made of cotton coupled with a new closure strap made of 2mm rubber latex that also acts as padding.  This soccer gloves also has a thumb notch and a V-notched open wrist feature.  This ensures that goal keepers would be amply protected and would still have the comfort and flexibility that they need to defend their goals.

3. Durability and Afforability.  The soccer gloves weigh less than 5 pounds and measures around 11.7 x 4.8 x 2.4 inches.  The Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Keeper Gloves also come in various glove sizes, ranging from size 3 to size 12.  They are also made of durable materials and they are very affordable.  The Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Keeper Gloves combines affordability and durability so it is definitely a good buy.

However, some goal keepers who prefer FingerSave soccer gloves would not find this feature in the Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Keeper Gloves.  The Sondico Pro Tech Roll Soccer Keeper Gloves does not have this feature but Sondico compensates this with its Pure Pro Tech Roll technology that helps goal keepers make tough saves. 

When buying soccer gloves, it is crucial that you get the right fit.  Aside from missed balls, soccer gloves that are loose fitting can slip and may lead to certain injuries.  Aside from consulting size charts, it would be best to fit the soccer gloves first before buying them. 

If you are buying your soccer gloves online, you will find that there are so many choices right at the end of your fingertips.  However, you need to make sure that you look at the manufacturer’s business website for their sizing information.  You also need to make sure that the online site you are buying from has a good exchange and return policy in case the soccer gloves sent to you is not a perfect fit.

The Horizontal Challenge

I’ve put on more or less 10 kilos and I’m already bursting to the seams. I feel like an oddball in this country of undernourished people. This past year, I’ve been having five heaping full meals a day. A few kilos more and I’ll walk in the streets naked because not one of my clothes will fit me.

Before, I took pride in being slim despite my voracious appetite. Now, I sport flabby arms, a second chin, a three-story belly, and dimples of cellulite in my legs. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t really care how I look. My main concerns are my narrowing choices in clothes and the increased risk in cardiovascular ailments. Why, oh why, did I bloat like this?

I’ll let you in a secret… I eat more when I’m depressed. My frustrations translate to cravings; and I eat and eat until I become relaxed and composed. It has become an outlet of my psychological wreckage. Calorie-laden food is in front of me even as I exorcise my inner anguish while writing this article. Try as I may, I can’t seem to trace how it all started. If I remember it right, nothing much has changed in my eating pattern. I only changed my lifestyle. Maybe my more laidback and sedentary lifestyle now is the culprit?

“What should I do?” is the more pressing question. Some friends advised that I should go on a diet. How? I’m a true-blue glutton to diet. Besides, I find the idea of dieting for vanity’s sake absolutely abhorring. I don’t want to join the cult of those who go on a hunger strike and shun away from the bounties of this earth just to look alluring before the eyes of every drooling male. If ever I’ll go on a diet, it would be because I want to feel good about myself and not because I want to hook every member of the male specie who’ll come my way. Girls, bear in mind that sexiness is relative. There are times when skinny women are sexy and when voluptuousness is the “in” thing. In other cultures, fat is sexy. Whatever you o and however you look, it’s how you carry yourself that matters.

Another option is for me to have an exercise regimen; but I’m too lazy to exercise. Or I can do both dieting and exercising but the prospect doesn’t appeal to me just yet. The desperate option would be to cease eating but I just can’t stop taking in food. I don’t want to die, mind you.

So, I’m still where I began. I’m fat and I don’t know what to do. I’m sure I’m not alone in this predicament. A couple of my friends also have weight problems. In my case, my body mass index is still within the normal range but I feel so heavy and sluggish. I can’t wear my favorite shirts and jeans. And I don’t have the money or resources to upgrade m y wardrobe.

Now I know how my horizontally-challenged friends feel. Profuse sweating follows my every move. By the end of the day, I feel super duper sticky to the max and so lethargic to do anything. And it’s definitely not healthy. I always feel nauseous and exhausted. The gravitational pull is weighing me down.

I was never a stickler for healthy living. My habits are far from wholesome. Now, I am forced to re-examine my lifestyle and maybe introduce a few changes. You see, I don’t have much choice. In the meantime, I won’t let bodily aesthetics bother me. I’m me and you might as well accept that. Besides, they say that beauty is not in the physical aspects of a person. As Christina Aguilera’s song goes, “ I am beautiful, no matter what they say”. On the other hand, I might just opt for an exercise program; it will help especially that my genes are susceptible to hypertension. I’m going to do it for myself and not for anybody else.

Calorie Deficit Is The Key To Fat Loss

For many people who want to lose weight, they believe that calorie deficit is the key to fat loss. The principle behind this belief is that by burning more calories than what was consumed, a calorie deficit results. Calorie deficit, in turn, forces the body to tap into its energy stores, particularly the fat cells. When this happens, fat loss and weight loss will result.

The amount of calories one consumes or burns off in a single day does not matter that much. It is the amount of consumed and burned off calories over a period of time that matters as far as weight loss is concerned. This means that when you are trying to have a calorie deficit to be able to lose weight and you had a moment of weakness, you do not need to get off your healthy eating plan and weight loss program. A single calorie laden snack does not matter and will not hurt you in the long run. It is the calories that you consumed and burned off during your whole program that matters.

Essentially, there are two main processes involved in achieving weight loss via calorie deficit. The first is having less calorie intake and the second is burning more calories. Consuming less calories is relatively simple and easy. You can either eat food that is low in calories or eat less of the food that you used to eat. If you don’t want to strictly count your calories, have small meals every four hours. You can have these small balanced meals with lean protein sources, whole grain carbohydrates, and lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. By doing this, you can restrict your calorie intake without having to starve or count everything you take in.

The second process, the burning of calories, involves a person’s metabolism and activity levels. Generally speaking, the more active a person is, the more energy is needed by the body so the more calories are burned in the process. The more active you are, the higher concentrations of calories you will be able to burn. This is why exercise is very important if you want to lose weight. Exercise regularly and adopt an active lifestyle. Chose to use the stairs, for example, instead of using the elevator or go for a regular evening stroll to create a higher calorie deficit.

A person’s metabolism is also very important because the higher it runs, the more calories are burned even when one is resting. The more muscle tissues a person has, the higher that person’s metabolism will be. The rationale behind this is that more energy is needed by the muscles to sustain themselves. Therefore, people who want to achieve calorie deficit in order to lose weight also need to do strength exercises.

Your Quick Guide To Anti Aging Treatments

Sure, there are a lot of anti aging treatments available now in the market. These anti aging treatments come in almost all kinds and they are usually available in serums, creams, masks, and virtually everything in between. The prices of these products for anti aging treatments, per ounce at that, range from a few cents to a few hundred dollars.

If you want to try all of them to see which works for you, be prepared to spend a small fortune. So, you are thinking now whether how to navigate through all these anti aging treatments and be able to find the best ones without spending a fortune. In doing so, here are a few things you need to keep in mind:

· Price. When on the lookout for anti aging treatments, do not base your choice solely on the price of the product. It does not mean that a product for anti aging treatments is already effective just because they are more expensive. A product may be more expensive because of the advertising costs and not because of the effectivity of the anti aging treatments. On the other hand, it does not necessarily follow that inexpensive products do not have the key ingredients to produce outstanding results in anti aging treatments.

· Advertised Result. When choosing the right anti aging treatments for you, select products that declare to provide you with visible results in a matter of days or weeks. Buy these anti aging treatments in small quantities and see whether they can deliver the results that they claim to be capable of. If you see some results within a few days of use of these anti aging treatments, they may be able to give you dramatic results over time. If you can’t the results these anti aging treatments claim to produce over their advertised time frame, how much more over an extended period of time? If you have been using certain products for anti aging treatments for months and you still can’t see any visible result, ditch them and find something else.

· Ingredients. You would also need into the ingredients used by products for anti aging treatments and do some research whether the said ingredients are really effective. For anti aging treatments for the skin, for example, choose products that improve not only the visible skin but also the overall health of your skin. Anti aging treatments that claim to go deeper to the root cause of a problem is definitely worth a try.

Understanding The Gluten Diet

Gluten diets are fast gaining popularity nowadays. Many people adapt this kind of diet for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from personal preferences to medical reasons. Still, the understanding and appreciation of the gluten diet is not that deep and widespread.

The gluten diet or a diet that is free of gluten excludes all kinds of food that contain gluten. Gluten is a protein compound that is commonly found in wheat, barley, rye, oats, and other cereal grains. There are various resources, especially on the internet, which give helpful information on gluten diets and on the gluten content of foods.

People who are sensitive to or cannot tolerate gluten, especially those afflicted with dermatitis herpetiformis or with Celiac disease, resort to a gluten-free diet. Gluten damages the lining of the small intestines of people with Celiac disease. This, in turn, affects the process of absorption of food nutrients and this usually results to diarrhea, weight loss, iron deficiency, and malnutrition. A gluten free diet is also said to help decrease symptoms related to allergy in children.

Removing gluten from the diet of an individual who is sensitive to gluten can also improve that individual’s overall well-being, energy, and moods. The gluten diet can also be part of the treatment of autism spectrum disorders as this kind of diet can help by alleviating certain autism symptoms in order for the patient to be able to function more normally, comparatively speaking.

Though the gluten diet brings a lot of benefits especially to those who have gluten intolerance, it is not that easy to keep up with the demands of the diet. There are a lot of food stuff that are less obvious source of gluten like starches, soy sauce, soups, pickles, tofu, ice cream, flavored tuna, pastries, malted milk, and a lot more. It is not easy to totally avoid gluten in one’s diet as many food stuff contain this protein compound.

To be able to totally get rid of gluten in one’s diet, it is very important to read the labels of food stuff and to avoid those with evidences of gluten. There are also cosmetics and pharmaceutical products that have ingredients containing gluten so one needs to be very careful and diligent in closely examining the labels and in researching on the gluten content of the food stuff and other products that one usually consumes.

More often than not, resorting to a gluten diet is a permanent lifestyle decision especially for those with gluten intolerance or with Celiac disease. And to be able to address the needs of people on a gluten-free diet, more and more food manufacturers are now producing food stuff that are free from gluten. Most of these have labels that they are gluten free.

It is recommended to consult with a physician first before deciding to go on a gluten diet. Furthermore, to be able to stick to this kind of diet, one would need the support and sensitivity of family and friends. There are also support groups that provide assistance to people who are on a gluten diet.

Why You Should Buy Electronic Cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes are slowly transforming the smoking landscape by offering a healthier alternative to smoking. Many smokers now buy electronic cigarette instead of the traditional cigarette. There are many advantages and benefits when using electronic cigarettes so more and more smokers now make the switch and buy electronic cigarette.

When smokers buy electronic cigarette, they will not be harming the environment as the “smoke” that comes from the electronic device is not really smoke but nicotine vapor. When you buy electronic cigarette, know that you will not be harming the environment with pollutants, chemicals, carcinogens, and carbon monoxide just like what is given off by real cigarette smoke. The electronic cigarette will only give off nicotine vapor to allow you to have your nicotine fix and this will dissipate easily into the air without leaving behind unpleasant odor and harmful chemicals.

If you are just starting out, it would be wise to buy electronic cigarette starter kit or pack. Chargers are usually included when you buy electronic cigarette starter pack, along with the basic nicotine cartridges, batteries, and atomizer. You also usually get a user’s manual when you buy electronic cigarette starter kits to guide you in how to use the electronic cigarette device. This is very helpful especially to beginners who don’t know how to go about using the device after they buy electronic cigarette starter packs.

When you buy electronic cigarette, you are usually not covered by smoking bans against real cigarettes. Since you don’t give off second hand smoke when smoking electronic cigarettes, unlike when smoking real cigarettes, you will not be harming other people. Another reason why you should buy electronic cigarette is because it is more economical, by as much as 75%, than traditional cigarettes that are commercially available in packs. A single nicotine cartridge of electronic cigarettes is equivalent to many sticks of regular cigarettes. Aside from this, smoking electronic cigarettes is very convenient as you don’t have to look for a lighter or match to light it. These are but some of the reasons why you should make the switch and buy electronic cigarette now.