7 Dog Toy Tips

dog boneDog toys was made to perform different functions. Dog toys can teach your dog how to properly behave, can entertain them during a lonesome day, can act as their playmate and can keep them busy for hours even when their master is away. So if you think your pet can benefit from having a dog toys to play around, here are some of our helpful tips to guide you in buying the right dog toys for your furry friend:

1. As a pet owner, always keep in mind that dogs and puppies love having a piece of material to pull, tug, shake, toss, cuddle and chew. And a dog toys can perfectly play this vital role. However, it still depends on you whether you want to encourage the right behavior of your dog or simply give him a dog toys that he can play with at all times.

2. Observe your dog’s attitude and understand then choose what kind of dog toys he loves to play with that will drastically change his stubbornness to being obedient.

3. If your dog executes an unusual behavior, determine first the reason why he is doing such thing. Unwanted dog behavior is sometimes caused by stress, anxiety and other problems. After determining the cause, choose the kind of dog toys that will safely and effectively remove the behavioral problems of your dog.

4. Also choose the kind of dog toys that your dog can rely and depend on without you getting worried about the safety and enjoyment of your dog. Give your dog a number of dog toys in different designs. This can help you to easily determine the best dog toys for your dog plus the fact that he will enjoy it.

5. Take note that a properly made dog toys will be safe, indestructible and practically non-toxic. In fact, there are some dog toys which help in cleaning the teeth and gums of your pet and good for your dog’s health.

6. Before buying a dog toys, double check the texture as well as the parts of the toy because it may do harsh or other negative effects on the condition of your dog.

7. Never mind the size of your dog breed. Focus more on the size of the dog toys that you will purchase and give to your pet. Make sure it will not choke or cut your dog’s gums and broke his teeth.

These are just some of the most important factors you have to take note when buying a dog toys. For complete and more precise way to determine the best and most effective dog toys for your breed, consult your veterinarian or professional dog trainer.

5 Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss Tips

After Pregnancy Weight LossPregnancy and giving birth to a baby are both miraculous and special milestones in your life. But it entails many sacrifices on your part one being your normal body figure. The weight loss after pregnancy depends largely on whether you started out in a normal weight range for your height and age or were overweight and whether you put on 25-35 pounds of weight your doctor probably recommended or put on more weight than advised by your doctor. It is very important to shed the weight you put on during pregnancy or it can stick around for a really long time.

As a new mother, you may be eager to lose the gained pounds and get your pre-pregnancy figure back, but it is important to be patient with yourself and go about losing the weight the healthy way. It took you nine months to gain that weight; it should take at least the same to get rid of it. Here are five top tips and ways to lose the weight you gained during pregnancy in a natural and healthy ways.

Tip #1: Don’t Diet

Dieting often is considered as the first step towards losing weight, but it does not apply to post pregnancy weight loss. In fact, it is highly discouraged to diet as feeling deprived of your favorite foods while fulfilling the beautiful but stressful role of a new mother can actually result in weight gain. On the contrary, it has been observed that if you eat healthy and eat for your hunger, the weight usually comes off pretty naturally. You should prefer a well-balanced and healthy eating routine as well as all day supply of healthy snacks to keep you filled and energized. Ensure to keep your daily intake of calories well above 1,800 calories, especially if you are breastfeeding.

Tip # 2: Eat Super Foods

It is essential for new mothers to receive ample amount of nutrition, especially in case of nursing. You should try to include foods that are rich in essential nutrients, but low in calories and fat. The recommended super foods include, fish such as salmon, sardines and tuna as they are loaded with essential omega 3 fatty acids, milk and yogurt as they are rich in calcium and protein such as lean meat, beans and chicken as they are low in fat but high in fiber and protein.

Tip # 3: Drink

With any weight loss regime, drinking plenty of water throughout the day not only prevents dehydration, but it also help you feel full so that you don’t each as much. Plenty of water consumption also speeds up your metabolism. It is usually recommended to consume over 64 ounce of water. You can use your urine color and the frequency of bathroom visit can be a good guide to your water requirement. Moreover, when your body is frequently hydrated your body does not feel the need to retain water which results in weight loss.

Tip # 4: Exercise

Diet is important to weight loss, but it is only part of the equation. You need to include aerobic and strength training exercise after pregnancy to burn calories as well as keep your muscles and bones strong. You don’t necessarily have to go to gym as it may interfere with your motherly duties; you can take a brisk walk with your baby in stroller. Try to get at least 150 minutes of brisk walk in a week. Taking care of your baby is a workout itself, no doubt, but some extra work out time can really help you lose weight.

Tip # 5: Sleep

Lack of sleep is a major consequence of motherhood, but sleep deprivation can actually slow down your progress in losing the pre baby weight. Studies have shown that new mothers who sleep less than five hours a day are less likely to lose weight than mothers who slept seven hours or more. When you are tired, your body gives out cortisol and other stress hormones which increase weight gain. Try to get as much naps as you can while your baby is sleeping.

In short, taking care of yourself is vital to both your and your baby’s health and wellbeing. Losing the weight can not only make you healthier but also are helpful when you are planning for your next baby.

How to Pair Wines

Wine Pairing Graphics

A good wine with the delicious dinner can make your evening delightful and enjoyable beyond imagine. Wine and food matching is the process of pairing food dishes with wine to improve the dining experience. In many cultures, winemaking and culinary traditions have evolved together over years to achieve the delicate but fine balance. In the restaurant industry, sommeliers often make food and wine recommendations for the guest to enhance their overall dining experience.

The texture and flavor in food and wine interact with each other and the right combination of these elements can make the experience enjoyable or just average. You need a balance between the flavors, weight and intensity. A delicate dish should be combined with a subtle wine and a hearty mean with a sturdier wine. Wines should, therefore, should be chosen to complement the meal. There are tips and guidelines to pair wines with the dinner food to enhance their combined taste and elevate the quality of your dining experience.

Match the flavors of the wine with those usually paired with a food item. For instance, Pinot Noir tastes like cranberries and cherries. It is, hence, a good combination with turkey or duck, as they are traditionally served with cherries or cranberries. The citrus taste of Sauvignon Blanc compliment fish and peppery flavor of a Syrah or Grenache pairs great with most red meat. It can be helpful to keep the rules of thumb from Oxford Companion to Wine:

Saltiness and sourness in food overpowers the bitterness in wine,

Acerbity is wine is suppressed by acidic, fatty and salty food and highlighted by sweet or spicy food,

Sweet wines taste sweeter with salty foods, and

Bitter foods often make the wine taste bitterer.

Europe’s regional and local foods pair well with wine from the same region. There is a natural and organic relationship between the food traditions and the beverages of a region. For instances, the bean, duck and sausages originating from South West France should be paired with wines from the area such as Madiran or Cahors. The simple roasted or grilled meat dishes of Spain are traditionally combined with the classic, oaky, dry reds of Rioja.

Tomatoes are acidic and tough on wine. If you are feasting on foods with tomatoes, you would need the wine with acidity to harmonize the taste. With fresh tomatoes, a Sauvignon Blanc or Southern French white should be the choice of wine. If you are having tomato sauce, you should try a Barbera or a red wine from Southern Italy. For sun dried tomatoes, sweeter Riesling can be a good fit.

Wine and cheese is an amazing pair, especially if the wine and cheese are from the same region. There are three rules of thumb that can apply here:

Dry reds do not complement the taste of many cheese, but dry white goes well with the cheese and sweet whites are the best of all.

Soft creamy cheese will bring out the tannins in a red wine; hence, the appropriate choice will be a wine with softer tannins such as North American Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.

Dry red wines with ample tannins are a wonderful match with hard, aged cheeses such as cheddar or Manchego.

Dessert wines should be sweeter than the accompanied dessert. The wine will taste tart and thin if the dessert is actually sweeter than the wine. Full bodied, sweet wines such as Muscat are recommended with many desserts. Chocolate desserts are tough to match with wines, as they are quite sweet, but ruby ports and Hungarian Tokay are usually good combos.

Delicious and carefully prepared meal and a wine that complements that meal is all you need to enjoy a dinner, whether at home or at a restaurant.  The pairing of wine with food is a balancing act, is an art rather than science. The right combination of flavor, texture and weight can make a real difference.

Finding Workout Motivation

workout motivationWorkout regime is important for your health and fitness, but it is not always easy to remain motivated to carry out your regime, day after day. It happens to best of us. After illness, injury or any other disruption in life, it can be hard to motivate oneself to get back to working out and exercising regularly. Often, we are just unable to turn our occasional spin class or other strength exercise class into a regular routine. It is obvious that each one of us want to be fit, but it is more times than not, difficult to find sufficient motivation to make fitness workout as part of the daily regime. There are, however, ways to find motivation to dive back into your fitness routine after a delay or to make it part of your daily life.

Treat Yourself

Better health, or weight management are vague goals, which may be able to motivate some people but usually not most. Instead of focusing on long term goals, it can be helpful to focus on small tangible rewards. You can motivate yourself to work out by promising yourself a treat to a smoothie or pie, or watching your favorite shows only after you have workout for a specific amount of time. Create a neurological habit loop which involves a trigger to a behavior like putting your jogging shoes next to your back, the routine like going for an actual jog and then the reward. The extrinsic reward is highly motivational as it is something your brain can recognize and make the behavior worthwhile.

Commit Formally

You may make promises to yourself day after day to start working out tomorrow and that tomorrow never comes. Research shows that we are more likely to fulfill our pledges when we make them in front of friends. You can further add to your motivation by making a contract with your friend that you will pay them $20 each time you skip a work out. You can set up some other type of penalty. The will to avoid the penalty and its entailed embarrassment will keep you motivated to work out.

Positive Thinking

It has been shown by research that positive thinkers can visualize the benefits of a behavior as a strategy of motivation. It helps visualize the feel of sun on your face, the wind through your hair when trying to leave your bed and go for a run in the morning. It is important to keep your visualization optimistic, but realistic. The visualization of outcome can help you remove the obstacles keeping you from working out.

These tips and guidelines can help you in finding your motivation for work out so that you can adhere to more healthy and fit lifestyle. These are just few among the many small things you can do to motivate yourself. You should build on small successes and work yourself from there to bigger more challenging goal. You should, more importantly, remain positive and encouraged as you are likely to fail a few times before you succeed. The key is to keep trying.

Best Workouts of 2015

Workouts 2015Fitness workouts and exercises can add that extra flair to your 2015, helping you greet the new year with more fit and healthy lifestyle. Usually, regular exercise and fitness is on the list of New Year’s resolution for everyone and you, like everyone else, may want to start off the year with top five workouts of 2015. The list of the top workouts is compiled based on the expert opinions and recommendation of health and fitness experts. These are new trends in the fitness world and can help you stay ahead with new norms and techniques.

Body Weight Training

According to a survey in a prominent American sports magazine, over three thousand fitness professionals agree that body weight training is the next big thing in the fitness world. It is expected that the body weight training will expand in all movement experiences including personal and group training. Focus more on gymnastics, suspension training options, primal movements and less on standard weight lifting protocols. The true exercises such as lunges, squats, burpees and pushups are your new best friends.

High Intensity Interval Training

Continuing from the last year, high intensity interval training is still among the top workouts in 2015. The technique involves alternating intense bursts of exercise with short recovery periods. It is an effective workout as you exercise in shorter bursts but still see results. You can successfully burn fat in as little as 20 minutes rather than slaving away at the gym for hours.

Treadmill Training

The indoor treadmill based training has gained quite popularity among boutique studies that specialize in one specific fitness genre. These training help you improve your running through speed, incline and interval based drills. Running is a simple and perhaps the oldest form of exercise which has served man’s fitness needs for ages. The indoor treadmill training provides you with benefits of running while in a controlled, yet challenging environment.

Strength Training

Strength training enjoys popularity in all areas of the health and fitness industry. Strength training is used by people of all age groups. It improves your strength and stamina. The training specializes in the use of resistance to induce muscular contraction, which in turn builds strength, skeletal muscles and anaerobic endurance.

Personal Training

Training that is tailored to your needs and requirements can result in personal program which can help you achieve your fitness goals effectively. Certified fitness pros consider your existing health, your strengths and weaknesses, your desire goals and then design a program that is more effective for you. In addition, they keep tab on your progress and performance. Constant feedback and immediate accountability is the new norm of 2015.

These top five workouts as well as other fitness trends of 2015 are recommended to help you achieve your fitness goals. You can choose from the wide ranges of workouts and trainings to suit your schedule, fitness goals and preferences. Regardless of which workout to decide upon, start your year will developing more effective regime of exercises.

2015 Workouts Video