Best Way to Flat Abs

Having a flat stomach takes a commitment to both exercise and a healthy diet.  Doing regular cardiovascular exercise is as important as doing toning abdominal work.  When you do cardio exercise you are engaging many muscles of your core as well as burning excess fat and calories that are covering your abdominal muscles.  Spot toning your abs with sit-ups, crunches, and planks is necessary to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles and core as well as your back muscles.  For the most bang for your buck, do planks. Planks activate more muscles and are gentler on your back and spine.  So how much should you do to get your stomach into fighting shape? At least 3-4 times a week for cardio  and 3-4 times a week for ab work. Spend at least 30 minutes on cardio and at least 10 minutes working your abs.  Please check out my channel on YouTube (YouTips4U) where you will find tons of ab workouts as well as fun and challenging cardio exercises you can do right at home.  Also, don't forget your diet.  In order to have the body you want, you must fuel your body with healthy nutritious  foods and always practice portion control because eating too much of even a healthy food is not good because you are taking in more calories than your body needs or can process at one time.

Stay healthy!

-YouTips4U

What's the Perfect Hair Color as You Age

A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is: stick to warm tones as you get older.  They are the most flattering to most skin types.  Warm does not mean brassy or orangey though. There's a big difference between orangey and warm carmel or honey tones.  If you're over 35, you may want to stay away from extreme colors like platinum or jet black, which can make you look pale or tired.  The effect is too harsh and aging.  Also, cool shades like ash or champagne blonde can make you look washed out.  So stick to warm caramels and honeys and you will bring depth and warmth to your skin and a more youthful appearance.

-YouTips4U

Soybeans for Anti-Aging

If you're looking for a great anti-aging cream that doesn't cause redness and peeling, you may want to give Aveeno Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream a try.  It contains soybean extract.  Studies show that soybean extract works similarly to retinol to boost collagen in the skin. You can have the wrinkle-reducing benefits without the irritation and sun sensitivity of retinol.

-YouTips4U

Make Your Own Natural Hand Sanitizer

If you want to avoid the harsh chemicals that are in hand sanitizer, you can make your own green version. It's very easy. Here's a great recipe:

1/2 c.         pure aloe vera gel (you can buy at natural foods stores)
1 1/2 tsp.  witch hazel (you can buy in drugstores)
15 drops    tea tree oil (you can buy in drugstores and natural food stores)
5               drops lavender essential oil (you can buy in natural foods stores)

Stir ingredients together in a bowl. Use a small funnel to pour ingredients into a squeeze bottle. It's ready to use.

Enjoy!
-YouTips4U

Best Way to Clean Cuts and Scrapes

Water is the most important tool for cleaning out debris and bacteria that could cause infection in a wound.  In most cases of minor cuts and scrapes, using mild soap with water to gently clean your cut is sufficient.  Be careful with hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol because they can be damaging to the surrounding healthy tissue needed for the healing process.  It can be helpful to apply a dab of antibiotic ointment to help fight bacteria and it also helps keep the bandage from sticking to the cut as it heals. Always be careful not to rip of the bandage because you don't want to remove the newly formed healing scab.  Peel slowly or soak it until it comes loose.   If, during the healing process, you experience any warmth, redness, pain, or pus, around the cut or scrape, or you develop a fever, you should see your doctor as you could have a possible infection.

-YouTips4U