There are many styles of yoga and therefore the benefits of practicing yoga will vary depending on the style you practice, on the instructor, and on your dedication to your practice. I have practiced several styles of yoga and have been practicing and teaching Kundalini yoga for almost 17 years but I am definitely not an expert in yoga in general. In this blog, I will briefly describe what yoga is. In my next blog, I will talk more specifically about the spiritual and physical benefits of Kundalini yoga.

The first thing many people ask is: Is yoga a religion? The quick answer is ‘No.’ I think the question really asks: “Am I going to be led into some beliefs that are not me?” The answer to that question is clearly ‘No!’ I feel the need to be clearer. Most yoga practices originated from Hinduism. The Kundalini yoga lineage I follow comes from Sikhism. So yoga practices are related to religions. To understand one needs to get a sense of the difference between Eastern religions and Western religions. In India, at least before western influences, there was no separation between one’s religion and one’s spiritual path or one’s lifestyle. Every moment of one’s life is orchestrated around sacred rhythms. Yoga is an aspect of that. So even though yoga is not a religion in and of itself – and those who brought yoga to the West made sure to remove all connection to spirituality at first as to not turn us off, and made it a physical practice – yoga is originally a practice to connect us to universal consciousness.

Yoga literally means yoke, or what unites things together. The practice of yoga is therefore a practice to experience unity or oneness. Oneness happens by being one with universal consciousness.

When people talk about yoga, they refer to the practice of certain exercises (asanas), breaths (pranayamas), meditations (dhyana), and relaxation, but that’s only one aspect of the practice. Yoga is so much more!

Yoga can simply be translated as being mindful, being in a state of meditation, or if one is not there yet, every moment consciously letting go of distractions and welcoming what is. For instance you can be practicing yoga while gardening, doing the dishes or cleaning up your house, paying attention to everything that happens around you and within you as you do your work. This is called karma yoga. Or you can be practicing yoga while having fun being creative, playing with your kids, or swimming. The yoga of relationships with yourself and others is called White Tantra. It can be done with exercises and meditations or by living it. The yoga of sexuality is Red Tantra. This can be used and abused. To be yoga it needs to be done respectfully, sacredly, with devotion and therefore from the heart, and your entire being (all your chakras as one), not just from the sexual centers.

Patanjali was a physician who became a sage some time between 200 BC and 200 AD. He left us with a treatise on yoga that is still considered the fundamental text on the system of yoga. In it he describes the eight-fold path (or eight limbs) or yoga: Yama (social behavior), Niyama (inner discipline), Asana (posture), Pranayama (life force), Pratyahara (Going within letting go of distractions), Dharana (mind stillness, focus), Dhyana (meditation), Samadhi (Bliss, Unity). Only a few yoga styles are complete in the sense that they include all of these limbs.

Hatha yoga is a style of yoga that is the most popular in North America. Hatha yoga is not complete as it is for the most part limited to postures and relaxations, and includes very little breath work and meditations, although this depends on the instructor. Different schools have come from Hatha yoga: Iyengar yoga (precise alignment oriented, a class is run posture after posture, with instructions and corrections), Anusara yoga (derived from Iyengar but with elements of Hindu spirituality), Kripalu yoga (flowing, often with meditative music and sometimes with incense ), Bikram (Hot yoga, classes are scripted), Sivananda, Integral and restorative yoga. And this list is not exhaustive!

Kriya yoga is a yoga of devotion and was introduced in the US by Yogananda. I recommend his book: Autobigraphy of a Yogi because it is rare that yogis write their own biography and because it is a great source for understanding life directly through the eyes and experience of a spiritual master, not through one of his students. In it he describes his life from before his spiritual awakening and his quest to meet with the saints and gurus or his time.

Ashtanga yoga (literally eight limbs of yoga), or power yoga, is complete and is taught a little at a time through series.

Kundalini yoga is also a complete yoga. It is called the mother of all yogas. It focuses on awareness more than on alignment. It uses everything about yoga even for beginning classes: postures; finger, eye and tongue postures; breath work; mantras; meditations; and relaxation. Kundalini yoga is not taught by instructors but by teachers.

All yoga styles have a common guideline to experience a posture and use the breath to ease into postures. It is this practice that connects us to our body and helps release stress. Iyengar yoga goes at it by asking students to perfect their alignment and stay in postures with the help of props until ultimately the use of props is no longer necessary. Kundalini yoga goes at it the opposite way, less interested in perfecting postures, it is interested in awareness. It is awareness that guides one to perfecting one’s own posture.

Luc Watelet is a passionate Kundalini yoga teacher and Life mentor. He welcomes your questions. He does passion-based counseling, working from people’s love and passion first and then strengths, rather than strengths alone or fixing pathology, to help them on their path. You can find him at: InnerWearth Blog or on his facebook page by searching Luc Watelet. Please send him a message first to let him know who you are and how you know him before asking for a friend request!

Silver & Grace Approved Books

Looking for books on spirituality? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They are available through Amazon.

The Source of Miracles: 7 Steps to Transforming Your Life through the Lord’s Prayer
Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth
The Message: A Guide to Being Human

For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.

Embracing the fun, sexy, intelligent and real you

Life so busy you have lost touch with your spiritual self? Draining, isn’t it? But how do you even start the journey back to you? With a helping hand, that’s how! To learn how my intuitive mentoring can help you quickly get back in touch with your pure essence check out Eliza’s Mentoring?

For many people, overeating and under-exercising are year-round problems that are amplified over the holidays. For instance, we often see patients suffering from back pain triggered by stress this time of year. Stress affects the adrenal gland, triggering excess adrenaline that can weaken ligaments in the lower back that hold bones in place.

We also see a link between depression and increased sugar intake; and between gallbladder attacks and overindulgence in high-fat foods over the holidays. I have had patients who have gone to the emergency room with pain and tightness between the shoulder blades thinking they were having a heart attack. When, in fact, they were having an acute gall bladder attack. Gallbladder attacks can mimic heart attacks.

The holidays are a time when many of us get away from regular eating and exercise routines and overindulge in rich, fattening and sweet foods. It is also a time when people tend to eat foods that are not part of their regular diet and mix them in combinations that can cause digestive and other problems. For instance, mixing proteins and starches and in large quantities can cause severe indigestion. Enzymes released in the mouth to break down starches like breads and pastas can neutralize stomach acids responsible for digesting meat and other proteins. Food that cannot be digested completely literally rots in the stomach, releasing toxins and causing pain, bloating, and other symptoms.

Following are some tips for changing holiday habits to help people feel healthier and more energetic, relieve stress and avoid painful episodes of back pain and gastrointestinal distress:

1.  Try not to mix many different kinds of foods, particularly carbs and proteins, at one sitting. Try eating one type of food, such as meat, then taking and break for an hour or so before eating another type, such as sweets and other carbs. The European style of eating small portions in courses is a good model.
2. Make regular exercise part of your daily routine. Getting up in time to work out in the morning can greatly relieve stress. Make it a point to walk, move and stretch frequently throughout the day, especially when you are going from party to party or meal to meal. A brisk walk and a couple of yoga moves can do wonders to help you manage stress, stay flexible and digest your food through the holidays.
3. Choose foods that promote health, such a fresh fruits, vegetables and yogurt, and avoid eating too much sugar and rich, high fat foods all at once. The stomach is responsible for 70 percent of the immune system and requires 1 trillion bacteria to properly digest food. Keep that in mind to help you eat a healthy balance of foods.
4. Slow down and chew food thoroughly.
5. Drink lots of water to aid digestion.
6. Avoid bombarding your system with unfamiliar foods. Over the holidays we visit the homes of friends, family and neighbors and eat foods that are outside of our normal eating patterns. Eating too many unfamiliar foods at once can cause all kinds of digestive problems, so take it easy and eat small quantities.
7. As you make exercise part of your routine, whether it is walking, running, yoga, Pilates or another form, pay attention to your posture and gait (walk). One of the ways stress manifests itself is through poor posture and improper movement. Improper gait makes exercise and even simple movements inefficient, and increases risks of injury.

After overindulging over the holidays, many people resolve to exercise more and eat healthier. Why not resolve to eat better and exercise going into the holidays, and keep it up in the New Year? It will be a huge step toward staying healthy all year.

Dr. John L. Lombardozzi is an expert in functional health and inventor of The Chi Rope, a patented exercise device to help improve balance and energy and correct uneven gait associated with pain, stress and fatigue. A lifelong athlete and inventor, Dr. Lombardozzi studied yoga, Pilates and martial arts while building custom motorcycles. Following a back injury, he became a chiropractic physician specializing in kinesiology and biomechanical movement. Dr. Lombardozzi earned a degree from Life Chiropractic College and has practiced chiropractic medicine for 14 years. For more information, visit www.ChiRope.com.

Silver & Grace Approved Books

Looking for books on being healthy? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They are available through Amazon.

When You Need A Timeout
The MindBody FX Lifestyle: Mastering The Mind-Body Connection For Permanent Weight Loss
The Hormone Survival Guide for Perimenopause: Balance Your Hormones Naturally

For more books with the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval check out Eliza’s Recommendations.

Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it? Well it should do but with change comes fear for us women, particularly those of us whom have passed the ‘40 milestone’. We don’t know where to start in trying to replicate the trends that drape effortlessly on young models. Often we fall into the trap of looking like we’ve selected our outfit from the floor of an adolescent’s bedroom in the dark with no sense of cut or style.

Well ladies I have a secret for you; taking inspiration from bygone decades, this seasons trends are so chic and sophisticated it’s like they have been designed especially for us.

Marvellous midi

Length is the ultimate blessing for us more mature ladies this season. From Armani to Zara the fashion houses have axed the unforgiving micro minis of yesterday to make way for the flattering and fantastically refined midi.

Coming in either a scrumptiously straight cut or an amazing A-line, this knee skimming delight adds shape and elegance whilst creating a leg lengthening illusion that dazzles, defines, and hides a multitude of sins.

Tantalising texture

Texture is such an important element in creating the perfect outfit this winter and it is almost essential that you include fabrics that scream to be gazed at, envied and touched. Most notably it was Louis Vuitton, Paul Smith and Prada that all added depth to their collections with the use of natural fibres and delicate flourishes such as tweed, shearling and embroidered knits.

Whilst you may not feel comfortable in a mismatch of grains it’s quite easy to incorporate the trend with at least one element of your ensemble. It could be a miracle midi skirt, a bold Bottega Veneta styled ¾ length fitted coat or a beautiful Fendi-esque jumper. Whatever you wearing make sure it encompasses and celebrates the delicious coarseness of the trend.

Bye bye black

It’s so easy to fall back to black in times of fashion uncertainty; reliable and forgiving a black outfit is a safe option for us older ladies when we are lacking creativity and confidence. The unfortunate truth is that a completely black outfit can be too harsh for us softer ladies, as well as being a macabre look. Thankfully this season it’s nowhere to be seen.

But if black is a staple for you, don’t start panicking just yet; there are some older boys back in town that are here to spare your blushes. Offering all the protection of black, the smouldering hues of burgundy, brown, navy and bottle green are being seen everywhere from Yves Saint Laurent to Dior. Adding a flattering and complimentary change, the autumnal colours present grown up glamour with sophistication and elegance.

Splendid sleeves

Taking inspiration from ‘40s fashion; sleeves are an absolute must this winter. Whether on a chic blouse or a stylish shift, long sleeves will add a feminine retro style to your look.

Not only do floaty sleeves keep us covered up this season, they also have wonderful slimming properties. By making your shoulders and chest seem larger, the sleeves increase upper body proportion thus shrinking everything which is below the bust. Banishing bingo wings, long sleeves are a miracle worker that like Miu Miu, we ladies should embrace passionately.

It is important that we older ladies are comfortable and confident in what we are wearing. Unlike the younger generation, we have had decades to discover what clothes look and feel best on our bodies. We just need to avoid getting stuck in a faux pas fashion rut.

This post is contributed by Lauren Powell, a fashion writer for CaféLaModa.co.uk. You don’t have to be dressed head to toe in Chloe to be fashionable, by taking elements of the season’s key fashion trends from Café La Moda and matching them up with our own familiar style we can create an exquisite ensemble that will leave us feeling and looking fabulous.

Silver & Grace Approved Books

Looking for resources on feeling and looking great? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources. They are available through Amazon.

The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams

The MindBody FX Lifestyle: Mastering The Mind-Body Connection For Permanent Weight Loss

For more Silver & Grace Approved Books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.

There are many changes that occur in women when menopause sets in. Some of these changes are as follows:

Changes in Blood Sugar Levels. Estrogen and progesterone affects the body’s response to another hormone, insulin. Estrogen and progesterone are hormones that effect the menstrual cycle of the woman while insulin affects how the cells are able to metabolize blood sugar. Once menopause sets in, hormonal changes occur that affects one’s ability to metabolize blood sugar. As a result, blood sugar levels become more erratic thus leading to increased risk of developing diabetes complications.

Weight Gain. Many women gain weight when menopause sets in. This weight gain though can result in problems regarding diabetes management. When a diabetic increases in weight, they would require an increased intake of insulin or oral diabetes medication. Some women though lose weight during menopause and this may require also an increased intake of diabetes medication.

Infection. Diabetes can result in many urinary tract infections even before diabetes. With the lower levels of estrogen at menopause, the risk of increased yeast infections in the vaginal region can increase tremendously. This put together can place a great problem regarding infections and with the slow recovery rates with diabetics, this is a problem that seriously needs attention by a gynecologist.

These issues are not without solutions available. As a menopausal diabetic, here are some ways that the problems mentioned above can be properly managed.

Blood Check Ups. As a diabetic, it would be part of your daily routine. Thus when menopause sets in, blood sugar check ups must become more routinary because of the double health issues the woman undergoes. This would also help your doctor to adjust your diabetes medication plan to address all the issues associated with diabetes and menopause.

Coordination. Because menopause itself provides its own set of medical issues, it is important that the regimen for the menopause must go hand in hand with the diabetes regimen. This is to prevent counter reactions as well as negations of medications and treatments when these two conditions meet up in a woman.

As can be seen, a menopausal diabetic has their work cut out for them. Individually, diabetes and menopause presents many health concerns for the woman. Thus, blood sugar changes, weight gain and infections can be exacerbated with either or both conditions. To lower the main issues, it would be best to coordinate the medications and do regular blood sugar check ups to help your doctor properly manage both health conditions in the long run.

For a more comprehensive discussion on diabetes, do visit us at Yes There Are Diabetics Who Suffer No Complications and please visit the Marc Castro’s site The Diabetes Forum

Tummy fat, it is not only unattractive but it is also unhealthy. It makes you susceptible to strokes, blood pressure, diabetes and various heart diseases. I am 48 and I feel almost everything I eat has been landing on my belly since last few years. At first, I thought I was alone in experiencing this sudden change but when I talked to some others, I realized that I wasn’t the only one through this problem.
I tried working on an exercise regime which I used to follow when I was 20 but unfortunately, none of it worked. Then later on, I realized that my body was no longer 20 years old, my digestive system and metabolism had slowed down and the same old tactics would not help me at all. That’s when I adopted a different plan of action and I would like to share it with you.

Proper exercise is a must

Weight loss without exercise is temporary. A regular and consistent exercise to lose weight is the key to burn out your tummy bulges. I can understand that your age does not help your stamina but you can start slowly. You should start a suitable exercise regime consisting of all abdominal exercises.

Interval training is unmatchable to burn tummy fat, as it not only burns out calories you consume in a day but also burn the actual body fat. You can also search some other exercises on the internet that burn overall body fats. Some of the exercise regimes you will find on internet will help you stimulate hormones, boost metabolism and burn eventually out tummy fats.

Eat less but healthy food

When you’re above 40, I would not ask you to go for a diet you would take in your teens or say tweens. Eat whatever you want, but eat less and always pick healthy food. Nowadays in the restaurants, the true concept of a real size meal is lost. A single serving of many restaurants could just as well be a meal for three people. What you need to do is to cut the size of your meal down and avoid unnecessary munching.

Try to avoid high calorie food and always prefer food which is natural and rich in fibre. Junk and fast foods are the biggest enemies of the women especially after 40s as with low metabolism, all the nutrition (which is mostly bad fat) lands directly on your tummy. Try to add lots of fruits, fresh vegetables, salads, and grains in your diet and try to shun flour and rice intake.

Change your habits

I know, “when you are forty, you are actually naughty” and it is impossible to change your life long habits at this age but working to alter them could add real fun in your life. Alcohol has a lot of calories and it speeds up your fat storing hormones. If you just can’t so no to a random drink every now and then just learn to limit its intake to one beer or one glass of wine per day.

Take proper sleep of 8 hours and try to kiss smoking good-bye. Slouching makes your organs to sag down and eventually your tummy goes out of shape. So always, try to sit straight because tummy fat is also sometimes a gift of bad posture. Follow the above tips and enjoy a perfect stomach to look and feel much better!

Susan Smith is a passionate blogger with expertise in wholesale business. As an entrepreneur and a businesswoman, she likes to share her extensive knowledge of wholesale industry and frequently writes on manufacturers related topics.

Silver & Grace Approved Books

Looking for books on how to look and feel beautiful? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They are available through Amazon.

The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams

The MindBody FX Lifestyle: Mastering The Mind-Body Connection For Permanent Weight Loss

Going Gray, Looking Great!: The Modern Woman’s Guide to Unfading Glory

For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.

For women with normal or dry skin a moisturizer is all that’s needed to get rid of those little lines. At this stage there are also real wrinkle reducing compounds like retinoids. These compounds can revitalize the sparkling, fun look most women still have at their best. As the years go by, the lines and wrinkles can become permanent. Some women turn to Botox, which is actually a toxin that relaxes muscles and smoothes out wrinkles.

Spider veins may also become visible because the skin becomes a little less able to support the walls of the blood vessels. These spider veins can be covered up with makeup or removed with laser treatment.

The cells in the hair that used to produce its color more and more refuse to do so. No one really knows why this is. By menopause, the production of sebum has decreased to the point where even formerly oily skin feels a little dry. But in the 60s and beyond, the hormonal ups and downs which affected the skin are no more and the skin can be surprisingly bright, clear and even sexy.

The Problems

What can an intelligent woman do to keep her skin looking good? Here are some common problems and some ways to combat them.

The skin can be irritated by too much time in the sun and worsen conditions like rosacea and lupus. The skin can even become allergic to the sun’s UV rays. This is called polymorphic light eruption, or PLE and the victims are overwhelmingly white and female. This skin reaction usually happens about one to five days after the sun exposure and it takes about seven to 10 days for the rash to subside. PLE can be avoided with a very effective sunscreen put on before going out in the sun.

Rosacea

Some people call rosacea adult onset acne, but it’s really not. Unlike acne it presents as an overall redness that looks like a blush. The skin is lumpy, but lacks the blackhead and whiteheads of real acne and shows thin red lines where the vessels enlarge. The nose can also become red and swollen. The treatment for rosacea might be topical and oral antibiotics, as well as topical steroids that helps to keep down the inflammation. Sufferers from rosacea should avoid harsh cleansers or anything that makes blood flow to the face, like too much alcohol, spicy foods and exposure to the sun.

Spider Veins

These are more common in women than in men and spider veins in the face are best treated with lasers rather than sclerotherapy, which is the treatment for varicose veins in the legs. However, the veins in the face are the same veins in the eyes and the brain and sclerotherapy is risky Sclerotherapy is also not advisable around the ankles because it might cause ulceration.

Age Spots and Moles

Moles can be light brown to almost black. They can be flat or raised and also come with age. Moles are made of coagulated melanin. Age spots look like freckles, but they’re larger and more irregular than freckles. They come from sun damage where the UV rays disrupt the skin’s melanocytes. As long as they’re benign, moles can be removed with lasers. Age spots can be faded with lightening agents and chemical peels and they can also be removed with lasers.

Just because she’s getting a little older doesn’t mean that a woman can’t have healthy, sexy, supple skin well into her golden years! The treatment of skin care problems has advanced greatly over the years!

Cindi Lewis writes for GLOSSY a skin care brands and beauty products online retailer.

Silver & Grace Approved Books

Looking for books on how to look and feel beautiful? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They are available through Amazon.

The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams

The MindBody FX Lifestyle: Mastering The Mind-Body Connection For Permanent Weight Loss

Going Gray, Looking Great!: The Modern Woman’s Guide to Unfading Glory

For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.

Until I reviewed BOOM! By Cindy Joseph.

Cindy is known for modelling au naturel. No, not naked. More shocking than that. Modelling with her grey hair. *gasp* I actually met her through Going Gray Looking Great which is the meeting place for Silver Haired Sisters. Later, I happened across a video of her promoting her make-up. There she was shocking the world again. BOOM! is designed and formulated to show off our age, not hide it!

My kind of gal.

Needless to say, I eagerly tore open the parcel when I received my Boomsticks — Color, Glo, Glimmer — and my Boomsilk moisturizer.

“Pretty!” I squealed. Three sleek tubes for the Boomsticks and a perfect little pot of the Boomsilk.

Next step was to check out Cindy’s videos on how to apply her make-up.

“Really? That’s how to apply it? That’s so simple. And across my forehead? Who knew?”

I didn’t dive right in though. I have rosacea so I had to proceed with caution.

The first week I only applied my Boomsticks. No flare ups. I was good to go. The second week I started applying little dabs of Boomsilk. No flare ups! Praise Cindy’s little bees who contributed their honey to her products, I finally found a moisturizer I can use. This is a Really Big Deal as rosacea sufferers know.

I have to admit that I found the first week disconcerting each time I looked in the mirror. Cindy’s claim is

These products will make your skin dewy, colorful and radiant.

Since my rosacea set in while I was still in my twenties, my skin has been dry, blotchy, and rough. Any make-up I applied sat on top of my skin and simply accentuated the dryness and roughness.

Yet, here I was with dewy, colourful, and truly radiant skin, and totally natural looking. The only way I can describe it is I looked like me only better.

I am sure that description will warm Cindy’s heart given

“BOOM! is for women who want to reveal their genuine beauty with an honest and realistic approach.”

My make-up stand looks bare. Here is what I have on it:

* Color Boomstick
* Glo Boomstick
* Glimmer Boomstick
* Boomsilk
* Sephora green silk foundation
* NYC green concealer
* a couple of Body Shop eyeshadows

That’s it! Cindy doesn’t even use foundation. She just Boomsticks and goes, but I require the green foundation and concealer to tone down the redness from the rosacea.

Mind you, if Boomsilk continues to work it’s soothing magic, I might be able to ditch the greens someday.

When I told Cindy I would publically declare her a goddess if her make-up didn’t trigger my rosacea her humble response was “Please thank the bees. They did all the hard work.”

Well, thank you, bees.

But thank you, Cindy, for promoting pro-aging in an industry that does its darndest to hide aging.

You truly are a Silver Goddess.

Please pop over to BOOM! By Cindy Joseph and poke around her fun and informative site. Then order her products and trot into your bathroom and do some serious decluttering. Trust me, there is very little currently there you need.

You can find Cindy here: BOOM! By Cindy Joseph

Note: while BOOM! does not trigger my rosacea, if you have rosacea please proceed with caution like I did. This is no reflection on BOOM! Rather, I have found that triggers are very different from one rosacea sufferer to the next.

Silver & Grace Approved Books

Looking for a really good book on real beauty? The Beauty Blueprint has the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as an excellent resource for women. It is available through Amazon.

The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams

For more Silver & Grace Approved Books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.

Embracing the fun, sexy, intelligent and real you

I know from personal experience that as our body changes during perimenopause and menopause we also embark on a fascinating spiritual journey. A journey that can at times be confusing as we struggle to cope with our changing body. A journey that can benefit greatly from a guiding hand. Let’s walk this journey together to the destination of an even better fun, sexy, intelligent and real you. To learn more about my intuitive mentoring options check out Eliza’s Mentoring or contact me using this convenient form.

Interestingly, this is how her book starts out:

There was something more <to beauty>, and I wanted to know how to get it.

And so, my journey began. I kept helping women look beautiful while searching even harder to find the secrets to actually being beautiful.

Now isn’t that insightful? Looking beautiful and actually being beautiful are not the same thing.

What Michelle discovered, of course, is that beauty truly does start inside and radiates outwards. As a make-over artist, Michelle discovered she could only take women so far if she did not address the woman’s ‘insides’ first.

Thank you, Michelle!

Although I enjoy watching shows like What Not To Wear? as much as the next person, I approach them with a healthy dose of skepticism. Buying a woman a $5000 wardrobe and giving her a haircut is not going to address why she stopped caring about her appearance in the first place. Until a woman truly believes she is fun, sexy, intelligent and real, a pretty outfit from H&M is not going to cut it.

And Michelle knows this. Which is why the full first half of her book is dedicated to tapping into the reader’s inner beauty. She does this by encouraging you to be honest.

Being honest with yourself doesn’t mean being critical; instead, it’s an invitation to be authentic. Every truly beautiful woman knows the power of living authentically.

With information, advice, real examples, and exercises, Michelle guides you to an authentic, beautiful life. Then and only then does she get into make-up and wardrobe hints and tips.

At this point, you are just putting the icing on the cake. The real beauty work is done. Now you are just showcasing it.

If you are ready to shine forth in all your authentic glory, The Beauty Blueprint is an excellent map for guiding you there.

Silver & Grace Approved Books

The Beauty Blueprint has the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as an excellent resource. It can be purchased through Amazon. The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams

For other Silver & Grace Approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.

So to all the people who blindly forge through the supermarket, I have a few tips for you. I believe that glasses should be a fun accessory that expresses personality and style– not a cumbersome necessity.

Tip 1: Find the best frame shape for your face.

It was a huge revelation the day that I realized different styles of frames look good on different shapes of faces. For example, because my face is a bit on the oval/round side of the face shape diagram, I would never want to wear circle glasses. Instead, I wear rectangular glasses. This guide is really helpful when matching frame to face shape. You can also stand in front of the mirror and trace the outline of your face with a bar of soap. Then look and see which shape your face resembles.

Tip 2: Find the colors look best on you. 

Analyze your skin tone and really think about what colors are flattering. (Ehow has a great article on finding your skin tone season.) Your reading glasses are (obviously) on your face and people look to your face first. Make sure you don’t wear a pair of glasses that make you seem pale or washed out.

Tip 3: Find the glasses that make you happy. I cannot stress enough the importance of loving your glasses. If you don’t like your glasses, your confidence levels won’t be as high as they could be. Find the glasses that fit your personality. Channel your favorite movie star and look for glasses similar to theirs. Whether you are 20 or 90, feeling confident in what you wear makes all the difference.

I hope this helps! You can find all the glasses featured here over at Reading Glasses Shopper.

Stacie Grissom is a writer for Reading Glasses Shopper where she writes about everything from reading sunglasses to glasses cases. As a lifelong glasses-wearer, Stacie believes that the perfect pair of glasses is a key to positive self-assurance. In her free time, Stacie loves to take pictures with her collection of old cameras, work on her DIY craft blog, and play with her three-legged dog, Bridget.

Silver & Grace Approved Books

Looking for some books on feeling good and looking great? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They can be purchased through Amazon.

The MindBody FX Lifestyle: Mastering The Mind-Body Connection For Permanent Weight Loss

The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams

For more Silver & Grace Approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.

In examining dozens of patients, I’ve found many suffering the effects of stress, including improper exercise, traumatic injury, sprains, strains or simply degradation due to the aging process. This can lead to improper gait, a condition that makes exercise and even simple movements inefficient and increases risks for further injury.

When the human body is healthy, there is a systematic rhythm to a person’s gait. The opposing arm swings naturally forward when a step is taken by either the right or left foot. This involuntary movement is controlled by an autonomic nervous system with the entire body operating as a unified muscle mass in a tension/relaxation cycle.

When normal gait is interrupted by stress, the stress on the autonomic nervous system causes the body to develop involuntary movement patterns during walking. This results in an asynchronous gait, which produces torquing of one side of the body vis-a-vis the opposing side. What was normally an effortless involuntary function become a labor intensive, exhausting effort.

When the body adapts to stress, (general adaptation syndrome), people experience a number of problems. Greatly accelerated wear and tear on the body and poor posture, which results from involuntary compensation for pain, is manifested in unequal muscle length and tensile strength throughout the muscular skeletal system. The abnormal torquing, and the multiple compensations a person substitutes for her/his normal rhythmic gait, adversely affects joints, spinal flexibility and overall health.

Boomers want to continue an active lifestyle, whether its is playing golf or with chasing their grandkids. They are looking for safe, low-impact ways to exercise. Unfortunately, improper gait can make even easy exercises inefficient and tiring. But when we correct gait problems, patients see immediate results.

Correcting improper gait is a key to helping people maintain vitality as they get older. By restoring balance and proper movement, people can get the most benefit out of whatever exercise they choose and stay active, healthy and happy as they age.

Dr. John’s Tips for Safe Exercise

Pilates and Yoga are some of the safer exercises for Boomers. Neither one will correct gait problems, but they both involve controlled movement and resistance that does not tend to tear up the body like weight training or running.

Don’t over-train. Many people work out too often and too hard and don’t allow their bodies to recover. Before starting a new exercise routine, take your pulse for seven days every morning to determine your resting (baseline) pulse. If, after starting a new exercise routine, you find your morning pulse is five beats above your baseline pulse, take the day off. That’s a sign you are overtraining.

Be aware of symptoms of imbalance. Abnormal aches, problems sleeping, mood changes and craving sweets are all signs that may indicate problems with gait and balance.

Dr. John L. Lombardozzi is an expert in functional health and inventor of The Chi Rope, a patented exercise device to help improve balance and energy and correct uneven gait associated with pain, stress and fatigue. A lifelong athlete and inventor, Dr. Lombardozzi studied yoga, Pilates and martial arts while building custom motorcycles. Following a back injury, he became a chiropractic physician specializing in kinesiology and biomechanical movement. Dr. Lombardozzi earned a degree from Life Chiropractic College and has practiced chiropractic medicine for 14 years. For more information, visit www.ChiRope.com.

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