Are Stomach Crunches enough for Abs??

Most of us workout to get a flat stomach, and dream of six-pack abs. And we think that the only plausible way to achieve that elusive muscle tone is by crunching, crunching and more crunching. Payal Banka, the Lead Nutritionist at LifeMojo, helps us throw some light on the much debated issue of how to get abdominal muscles and where they hide.

Here’s what Payal Banka had to say:

For six-pack abs one needs to strengthen the abdominal muscles and lose body fat. Unfortunately there is no escaping cardiovascular exercise and weight (or resistance) training to lose weight in a healthy way. That aside, in order to strengthen your abs you will have to follow exercises related to both, the abdomen and the back. There are different types of crunches and other abdominal exercises that focus on the entire abdomen, from the upper to the lower sections. These exercises are ideal to strengthen your abdominal muscles.

However, training your abs without training your back creates an imbalance in the musculature that supports your spine. And these muscles are not just for show! Therefore,the best exercises for your abdominal muscles are the ones that force your entire core to go into overdrive to support your spine as well. Some exercises that do this are squats and lifts.

Some more exercises, other than crunches, squats and lifts, that will help strengthen both the back and abdominal muscles: Sit ups, jack-knife sit ups , leg lifts, static holds and side statics.

So, while crunches, squats and other abdominal exercises will strengthen your core, overall fat loss will make this strengthened core visible.

Hair Care Home Remedies

It's not always necessary to spend a lot of money to have great-looking hair. If you like the idea of avoiding synthetic products and harsh chemicals and enjoy using healthy, organic ingredients to treat your hair, you can make many different homemade hair care products using ingredients that can be found in your kitchen.

Homemade Mask for Dry, Damaged Hair

If you have dry or damaged hair, you can make a homemade hair mask to be used as a weekly deep-conditioning treatment. Mash half an avocado with half a banana until the mixture is completely free of lumps, and apply it to dry hair before shampooing. Cover your head with a shower cap or plastic wrap and leave this on for up to 30 minutes. Rinse the mixture from your hair completely before shampooing, and condition with your usual conditioner or use a light, leave-in conditioner.

After-Shampoo Rinses

In her book "Natural Beauty at Home," Janice Cox provides recipes for several homemade rinses that can be used after you're finished shampooing your hair. Mixing the juice of one lemon and 1 cup water and rinsing with this mixture can give your hair body and shine. If you have a lot of residue or buildup from styling products, mix 1 tbsp. baking soda and 1 cup water, then rinse with this after shampooing. If you want to give your hair extra life and body, rinse with 1 can of flat beer. Make sure to rinse these mixtures from your hair completely with cool water.

Dandruff Control

If you have dry scalp or dandruff, several effective remedies are worth trying. You can use an apple cider vinegar rinse by applying 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar directly to your scalp, leaving it on for 15 minutes, then rinsing and shampooing. Some folk remedies even suggest that rinsing with Listerine can be effective for use in treating mild cases of dandruff. In her book, Janice Cox provides another home treatment for dandruff control. According to Cox, for a dry flaky scalp, prepare a home remedy using 2 tbsp. jojoba oil and 1/4 tsp. tea tree oil. After combining these ingredients, apply it to wet hair, leave it on for 20 minutes, and then shampoo it out.

Natural Highlights

If you have light brown or dark to medium blond hair and you want to add some natural blond highlights, use lemon juice. Mix the juice of three lemons with 1/3 cup water, put this mixture in a spray bottle, and spray it all over your hair. Sit out in the sun for a while; this will lighten your hair anyway, but using the lemon juice speeds the process. Make sure to thoroughly condition your hair afterward, as lemon juice can be very drying.

Hoe to control on Lips?

Everyone wishes for that perfect shape of the lips. But even slight imperfections can cause great distress. Never mind, this little problem could be solved very easily. What you need to do is just know the right way to create great-looking lips in no time. Here we are with the steps to create the perfect lip design:

Required: Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Lip Pencil and Lip brush.

Outline your lips perfectly by following the below:

• First of all dot your lips with the help of a lip pencil at some main points such as at the edge of each corner on either side of the upper lip. Then add two more dots, one at each of the twin peaks (the crests) at the center of the upper lip.
• Once you have dotted the main points then connect all the dots. Start with connecting the dot on each corner up to the dot on the crest on the same side. After that connect the dots on the crests together. Thus you will complete outline of the upper lip.
• Now it is turn of the lower lip. Start outlining from the middle of your lower lip, lining outward three-quarters of the way to the corners of the lower lips. And then stop when you are about to get to the corners.
• After that it is time to fill in the lips with lipstick or lip-gloss. With the help of your lip brush apply the color evenly. Blend any visible edges of your lip pencil line with lipstick. You should use your lip brush to apply and blend the lip color.

Hoe to make Perfect Lips?

Everyone wishes for that perfect shape of the lips. But even slight imperfections can cause great distress. Never mind, this little problem could be solved very easily. What you need to do is just know the right way to create great-looking lips in no time. Here we are with the steps to create the perfect lip design:

Required: Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Lip Pencil and Lip brush.

Outline your lips perfectly by following the below:

• First of all dot your lips with the help of a lip pencil at some main points such as at the edge of each corner on either side of the upper lip. Then add two more dots, one at each of the twin peaks (the crests) at the center of the upper lip.
• Once you have dotted the main points then connect all the dots. Start with connecting the dot on each corner up to the dot on the crest on the same side. After that connect the dots on the crests together. Thus you will complete outline of the upper lip.
• Now it is turn of the lower lip. Start outlining from the middle of your lower lip, lining outward three-quarters of the way to the corners of the lower lips. And then stop when you are about to get to the corners.
• After that it is time to fill in the lips with lipstick or lip-gloss. With the help of your lip brush apply the color evenly. Blend any visible edges of your lip pencil line with lipstick. You should use your lip brush to apply and blend the lip color.

Lip Care Tips

The moist and smooth lips not only look healthy but also contribute in enhancing your looks. No doubt the lips are an integral part of your make up. The moist lips hold the lipstick color best and also look beautiful. The make up of the lips keeps changing with the mood of the time and occasion. Here are few guidelines in this regard:

Morning Lips

Make your lips soft and smooth by giving dry, flaky lips the brush-off. Every morning 'brush your lips ' with a soft baby toothbrush and then apply some lip balm to your lips.

Bed Time Lips

Before going to bed you should apply the moisturizing cream on your lips. Do so regularly every night and you will wake up every morning with softer lips.

Every Day Lips

You should try to avoid over exposure to the sun rays as they can absorb moisture of your lips and make them dry. If you have to spend a lot of time outdoors, then you should go for 'triple lipstick ', with moisturizers and sunscreen built right in.

Party Lips

Time for party means time for high profile lips, which are possible through those fruit-flavored lip-glosses. For that ultra-gloss look you should apply a dash of metallic lip-gloss over the lipstick in the center of your lips.

Shimmer Lips

The application of shimmer lip colors in golden shades and iced pastels make your lips look sweet along with the moisturizing lipsticks or glosses in pearly nude, candy pink, lilac, silver and gold shades.

Glossy Baby Lips

The lip-gloss is more fashionable as compared to the lipstick. And it is applicable at all the occasions. It can help you get those baby lips with a hint of pink and a natural shine.

Kissable Lips

Only soft and smooth lips could be pretty enough and inviting to kiss. So if you want to be owner of those lips then make your lips kissable by applying lip balm to them every day.

Beauty Care Tips

There is no denying of the fact that tips can make life better in all aspects. Be it health tips or kitchen tips or hair care tips, they improve life in all possible ways. With any kind of health tips a person can get cured from ailments. Health tips can be an effective way of healthy living.