Sleepless in Seatt..err..Manila?

Do you ever have nights wherein you just can't seem to fall asleep? I've been having those nights since last Monday and it's taking a toll on my skin, sinus and weight. Yes, girls..in case you didn't know...lack of sleep causes us to 1. get more pimples 2. seem like we have a darker complexion 3. weaken our immune system (easier to catch colds and cough) and 4. gain weight (we tend to eat more when we're sleepy because our body unconsciously wants more food so it can have more energy).

So, it was such a coincidence that I saw an article in Yahoo which gives tips on what to do to make it easier for you to fall asleep. Reading it gave me an idea. I tried to come up with my own list of do's and don'ts to help you fall asleep. Most concepts are similar to that of Yahoo's but I included it in the list because I find it useful.

Wanna get a good night’s sleep? Then follow these tips:

1. No caffeine after 7:00 P.M.

The guilty dog barks first. No caffeine after 7? Guess that means no more coffee-while-chatting-with-friends-after-dinner for me. But hey, I’m still up for the chatting-after-dinner part. It usually takes about 6 hours for the caffeine of half the amount of coffee you take to last in your body. So think about the other half left in your body. This also means that you may be able to fall asleep but according to experts, your body isn’t getting the benefits it can get during deep sleep.

2. Avoid doing any kind of work that takes alert thinking AN HOUR BEFORE BEDTIME.

You can fold laundry or put your clothes in your closet or sort the mail but stay away from budgeting your cash for the month or planning next month’s out-of-town trip.

3. Adjust your bedroom temperature to be slightly chilly.

4. Keep your bedroom dark.

I am aware that others sleep with the lights on but did you know that studies show that even a digital alarm clock’s light can disrupt your sleep cycle by disrupting cell division (making you more prone to having cancer!). Somehow our biological clock and brain attribute darkness to a calm environment which helps our bodies to relax and regenerate.

5. Slather lotion on if you’re having trouble sleeping.

I’m not sure why but slathering lotion relaxes me and makes me feel sleepy.

6. Gently stretch

Your whole body (once, twice or as much as you’d like) or your toes up and down (for several times). I love how stretching helps me relax. When I’m tired at work, I impulsively stretch my arms while preparing to yawn loudly, only to realize that I’m IN THE OFFICE. Also, I try to stretch my whole body (yes, from fingertips to toes) whenever I can’t sleep. Stretching relieves stress and in turn, induces sleep. It helps you feel less stressed by increasing the flow of oxygen in your body.

7. Just keep yawning!

8. Imagine that you need to get up already.

The thought of being rudely awakened by your alarm, the act of having to turn it off, the feeling of dragging yourself out of your bed and into the shower is actually an exhausting prospect. But that’s also why it works. Knowing that you have to do it soon makes you want to sleep early to get the most out of the night.

9. Take a warm bath.

Remember that you should take a warm bath, not a quick cold shower. You know how spas give you warm baths to relax you instead of cold showers? The same concept applies here.

10. Keep a small jotter and pen beside your bed.

Sometimes I can’t fall asleep because there are a lot of things running in my mind. To clear my head, I usually write down my thoughts or the things I want to remember. What’s great about this technique is that I get to remember the bouts of ideas that came to me the night before because I’ve already noted it down.

I hope these tips help you get to dreamland faster. May you also notice clearer, fairer skin and a slimmer, healthier physique. Happy snoozing!

Healthiest drink?

I was browsing the newspaper last weekend when I chanced upon a full-page advertisement for C2. It featured all their products which included their newest offering, the C2 ENVIDIA.

So maybe you're asking, what's new with this product? Well, I think you'll be surprised with this one!

It's Green Tea plus L-Carnitine!

Whoa right? I mean, Green Tea on its own is great for those on a diet. My friend K can attest to that and since I've hopped onto the bandwagon too, I say the same thing. I'm not really into the L-Carnitine drinks because I see right through them. I mean, have you read the sugar content on those drinks? Horrible. Sugar camouflages as sucrose but natural sucrose in fruits is still sugar, diabetics don't even eat a lot of fruits co'z of this. See?

But then, I know a lot of people who actually enjoy Fit n' Right and Fab! and I have to admit, I occasionally buy them as alternative to soda. I don't really know if the L-Carnitine actually works since I haven't heard of a friend who can actually testify to this aside from Marian Rivera (which unfortunately is not a close contact of mine).

Here goes the battle for which one is better? L-Carnitine or Green Tea? Well, C2 made our lives easier by introducing Envidia! So on Father's Day, I dropped by the grocery and grabbed myself a bottle! Here's the lowdown:

Taste
I was very excited to taste it that I immediately opened a bottle and took a big gulp. I was very surprised! Turns out, the drink is sparkling! The fizz almost burned my throat! I immediately reread the bottle but couldn't find where it says it is sparkling. Gosh! Next time please, indicate it in the label!

The drink has two variants, the Pine-Orange and Apple Flavor. Both tastes good although I think I like the Pine-Orange better. Overall, I think Envidia tastes very good. I mean, it's C2! And if you've tasted the original C2 flavors, then I guess you can predict what these tastes like. Again, just bear in mind that it's a little different co'z of the fizz.

Health benefits
Here's what the label reveals: It has 300mg of L-carnitine, 25mg of ECGC and it has no sugar in it. Cool right? It literally says, zero grams of sugar! BUT it does contain 85g of sodium so I don't know if that's good or not. But here's my favorite discovery: it contains only 10 calories! Unbelievable right? I mean, the original c2 has 45 calories. See how the Envidia has incredibly lower numbers? So cool!

Wallet damage: 21 php

I'm not sure if it's recommended that you drink this everyday to see results but honestly, I don't recommend you take drinks like this to lose weight. If you really want to lose weight, just stick to good old water. But on occasions you'd want something tastier, then I suggest you go for this because so far, this is the healthiest over-the-freezer(hehe) drink in the market today!

Sister One

I have been bugging my friends to run with me, since forever! Now that it's summer break, I have all the time in the world to fulfill my wish of exercising daily. First of all, why did I choose running as my form of exercise? Hmm.. I guess I just got hooked on the idea of being able to do some exercise and still reflect on my thoughts. When I saw it in several movies (specifically Sex and the City, and Bride Wars) I just got attracted to the thought of running. Another reason was that I read several articles (and one of our posts; click here to read it first) that mentioned the benefits of running. Overall body toning and a lighter, cleansed feeling (you don't feel bloated) are some of the benefits.

So, with that desire in mind, I traipsed to a store which caters to women who wants to go into sports...Nike Women. There I chanced upon their new shoe line. At first I was looking for some running shoes but their training shoes caught my attention. Their newest line, the SISTER ONE line, is not only aesthetically pleasing, it was also top class! Nike's newest shoe line does not only assure your physical safety, they also assure that you look good while doing it. Sister One is the most flexible shoe to date. Its video ad and its tag line proves this. Their last two releases were in Hot Pink and Orange. Now, doesn't that get you excited? Hehe.

What are you waiting for, run to the nearest Nike store and check out "The flexible shoe that moves with you": Nike Zoom Sister One+!

Healthy Alternative

I have been getting super addicted to salad lately that my salad phase has reached my online habits. I found a multiply site which offers healthier food alternatives. Check out: http://tossed.multiply.com . I still haven't tried their food but with the looks of it, it seems like I've already found what I'll be eating for the whole summer! What's cool about them is that they deliver the food to you (as long as you order your food the day before and before 4pm) after you confirm through text or email. As of now, they only deliver in some areas in the following cities: Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, Quezon, and Manila. 

Their menu has appetizers, sandwiches, salads, Pinoy salads, pasta, drinks, and dessert! If you're palate require more attention, then no need to fret, they accept menu requests! You're drooling to check out their menu, aren't you? Then what are you waiting for, click HERE!

photo courtesy of: http://tossed.multiply.com

Right exercise for you!

I don't know about you girls but I have sadly fallen victim to that inevitable summer fat. Yes, yes, I gained another good 3 pounds. Boo me. Well, before classes start, I vowed to lose that extra slab of fat on my belly! Soooo... with only two weeks to go, what's a girl to do? Exercise.

Since I'm new to these crash exercises, I decided to research about it and found out that different body shapes actually have different exercises that work best for them! In order to know which exercise works for you, you have to know first which body shape category you fall in:

Hourglass - whoa girl, you're sexy! lol! Yes, yes, the hourglass figure is that which everyone tends to envy because they have really good proportions. But what I want to emphasize here is that you don't have to be thin to have this kind of body shape. Basically, hourglass figures have well proportioned upper and lower bodies and a distinctly small waist. Most of the time, hourglass figures can be seen on athletic girls. Your celeb sisters: blake lively, scarlett johanssen

Pear - I know a lot of people who has this kind of body shape. Pears have larger lower bodies. They tend to have big hips and thighs but small chests and flat stomachs. Your celeb sisters: jennifer love hewitt, jennifer lopez, beyonce knowles

Apple - This is the counterpart of Pears. Apples have larger upper bodies-- big chests, big stomachs but really thin hips and thighs. You celeb sisters: mariah carey, tyra banks

Ruler - This is a very rare body shape as rulers are often those people who are waif-like and slim. They even have really slender and thin bone structures and normally do not gain a lot of weight and if they do will be concentrated on their chests and bottoms. Your celeb sisters: the olsen twins, keira knightley

So now that you're classified yourself under a body shape category, let's go to the fun part, "which exercise works best for what?"

Hourglass- Hourglass figures tend to gain weight evenly so the best way to address it is to find exercises that helps you lose weight all over your body. You should best go for:
slow jogging, stationary biking, jumping jacks, swimming, bicep curls, shoulder presses, and squats. Again, the key here is to have balance. Find an exercise where your entire body gets to move.

Pear- Since you have a large lower body, you should focus on making that area smaller. Go for:
walking, cycling, elliptical training, jumping rope, leg lifts and dips, push ups, chin ups, and shoulder presses.

Apple- Contrary to other body types, the best exercise for apple-shapes are those that are focused on the smaller half of their bodies. So instead of looking for exercises to give you smaller chests and stomachs, you should find exercises that would make you have bigger buns, thighs and sexier calves. The idea here is to give you a more balanced look. I mean, hey, if you've got big boobs, how do you go about making that small? tsk! Well then, here are the exercises you should try: stairclimbing, walking on an incline, running, leg squats, leg presses, and deadlifts.

Ruler- Surprisingly, it is harder to lose weight when you're a ruler because you have to focus on every single muscle in your body. Since you're waif-like, you should build muscle mass evenly or risk looking like a boxer with big arm muscles. You have to constantly and routinely exercise all your body parts to have that even and sexy look. Try these exercises: stretching, sit-ups, step classes, spinningwalking or jogging on an incline, squats, bench presses and shoulder presses.

So there you go girls! Some exercises designed more specifically for each of our body needs. Goodluck with losing those summer fats! You can do it PK girl! Go, go, go!

One moment, one nescafe

I am a self-confessed coffeeholic. I particularly like my coffee served to me in cafes and coffee shops as I do not like the "fake" taste of instant coffee. If I cannot get myself coffee from Starbucks or Seattle's Best, I go for the next best thing: Freshly brewed coffee in the comfort of my own home. Yes, I like my coffee THAT good. However, I have been very busy lately and do not have time to brew my own blend or even drop by coffee shops (aside from my usual Friday night Starbucks date with my girls) so I had to make do with the one thing I used to hate drinking: INSTANT COFFEE.

So okay, there I was craving for some serious caffeine when I was handed Nescafe's line of "healthy coffee" by my mom. I've seen Nescafe's ads in Reader's Digest and admittedly was very curious about the taste plus I was in serious craving mode so I took some (even if all my angels were advising me against it). So how was it? I'll give you the low-down:

Nescafe Fit

Nescafe fit is for those on a diet. It has a sugar substitute and teavigo which is good for the body. It is decaffeineted too so it's good for non coffee drinkers out there.
Well, as expected, it tastes so much more bland than the usual instant coffee. You could hardly taste the coffee much more its sweetness! Still, I have to give it props for sticking to its goal of being a "diet" drink. And yeah, I guess also some stars for that unusual tea taste that's incorporated in the coffee. At least it made it taste less "instant" and a little more first class.

Nescafe Relax
True to its name, Nescafe Relax has Chamomile extracts which has been known to help the body relax. Surprisingly, the coffee tasted good (sweeter and stronger than Nescafe Fit) and the chamomile added to its overall appeal. Just imagine yourself drinking a less tasty version of Starbuck's Peppermint Mocha. Yes! It's minty, cool, and in many ways, very relaxing. I think what's really great about it is its aroma. The Chamomile gives it this really sweet scent that would really help you relax and entice you to drink more of the coffee. haha! So... I give a thumb up for this one (note: one thumb only as it's still bitter and somewhat mediocre)


Nescafe Protect
The last of the line of "healthy" coffee from Nescafe promises to be the ultimate coffee drink for those who want to stay in top shape as it contains 3x more antioxidants than Green Tea. However... (here it goes!) its taste was completely disappointing! It was too bitter but ironically didn't have a strong coffee flavor. It's like, you want to drink more so you'd taste the distinct flavor of coffee but all you savor is bitterness. Just when I thought coffee was supposed to be bittersweet! Where's the sweet part then?

Nescafe is trying to prove to the world that coffee is healthy. Yes, I know, there's nothing wrong with that because I'm a big coffee fan anyway. But then, I think what's disappointing about it is that they focused too much on the health-part of the beverages and totally forgot the taste part. So in the end, I say brewed coffee is so much more better than instant but I have to hand it to Nescafe for trying. What they're doing is good and they deserve kudos for that ;)

Bikini-worthy body, here we come!

With summer just a few months away, now is the perfect time to get back in shape to achieve that bikini-worthy bod! Changing your diet or regulating food intake is of course effective but it can only do so much-- it won't give you firm and flat tummies that can only be achieved through exercise. Yes, I know, I know. Most of us hate hearing that E word but that E word is your sure fire way of getting that beautiful body so I suggest giving it a second chance. :)

Well, I for one is a very athletic person so exercise for me is fun. But of course when you're already very busy with school work, getting down to business of exercising becomes a task as you often would opt to spend that little "free time" you have relaxing and enjoying yourself. But what if I tell you that you can exercise, have fun and relax all at the same time?

Introducing the revolutionary Hip hop abs! (ha, I sound like an informercial!)

Designed by Shaun T., hip hop abs promises to give you the abs that you want while teaching you some very cool hiphop steps. It has 4 unique workouts which are designed for specific problem areas. The four parts of the dvd are: fat burning cardio, ab sculpt, thighs and legs, and total body burn. Aside from these, the cd also includes bonuses such as: key to flat abs, last minute abs and even a "learn to dance with Shaun T." portion.

I have never seen the informercial of this but S kept on talking about it since December last year that I somehow became curious. Well, S bought her copy from a tiangge but didn't get to try it until I slept over her house. It was hilarious because everything happened so fast. First we were only half-joking that we'd exercise that morning and then in a few minutes, we found ourselves groovin with Shaun T.'s voice as background. My first reaction to the workout was nothing. I mean, I hardly had time to react anymore as the workout was so fast! It won't leave you any time to stop or even relax a little as Shaun T. keeps pushing you to "groove and work it". In a matter of 25 minutes, we finished the first workout. Wow. I didn't even realize then that I was already exercising!

I think that's also the appeal of the exercise. You won't realize you're exercising already because it's fast plus you'd feel like you're merely in dance class with a very persistent Shaun T. as your teacher. It's a really a great thing because sometimes when exercises are slow, it makes you give up faster as your mind realizes you're exercising and tells you it's hard work (counting how many push ups you do for example versus when you do hip hop abs and not realizing you have already done more than a hundred crunches). Another very cool thing about the workout program is that you get to dance and have fun! It doesn't really matter if you know how to dance or not. It's more of having attitude and pouting! (haha! you'll get what I mean when you try it for yourself) Lastly, the workouts are relatively short so now you won't be able to say you don't have time for it!

S and I are so loving our newly-found exercise program. The dancers in us are especially happy about it because we get to practice our dance moves again. Plus! The "learn to dance" portion of the cds give us cool new steps that we can use to show off to all our friends. lol! :) This workout truly is one that any energetic, lively and fun-loving girl would enjoy as there would be no dull moments ever.

So girls, go get your copies of hip hop abs now! You won't regret it especially after exercising as the endorphines you'd secrete would also make you feel so much more happier and fulfilled :)

Here's to having the perfect bikini body! Cheers! :)