Seeking Tranquility

COCONUT RED CURRY WITH CHICKPEAS

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Hello! I can give you some tips I guess yes :)There are 5 pillars of perfect fitness:StrengthFlexibilityEndurancePowerAgilityA great fitness schedule should include workouts that target each of these areas. A workout schedule shouldn’t contain only cardio or only weightlifting, as these exercise types only tackle one or 2 of the pillars. Of course fitness programs have to be different and focus on different specific pillars depending on what the goal outcome is supposed to be, eg a weightlifter will do mainly lifting (surprise surprise, right?) and a distance runner will do primarily cardio endurance workouts. But for overall fitness for the average joe, it’s best to incorporate all 5 into your regimen.

Keep things interesting - don’t get into too much of a routine. My workout schedule for example follows a monthly cycle, and no week is the same. I planned it like this so that my body and my muscles don’t get too used to doing the same thing every tuesday etc.I work out 6x a week. Generally Monday is muscle building - upper or lower body. I keep that to monday just because that is when I have the most energy.Then the rest of the week is pretty switched up. But I have one day for interval training, one day for continuous cardio for endurance, one day for circuit training for muscle power & endurance, one day for a pilates based workout, then another day for yoga - usually sunday, to regenerate for the coming week.That’s the technical advice out of the way :)Other advice I have is to make your workouts something that you enjoy. You don’t have to run on a treadmill or lift weights. I work out at home and use workout videos from beachbody.com, bodybuilding.com or from youtube. I mix em up and they are all workouts I love to do! You might prefer running, dancing, just yoga or whatever else - it’s up to you. The point is if you enjoy your workouts you’ll keep motivated & you won’t give up, which is the last bit of advice I have -

Keep at it! Don’t start for a week then give up when you don’t see results. You ain’t gonna change physically or otherwise in 1 week. It generally takes about 2 weeks for it to turn into a habit that becomes a natural part of your day. So keep going. Make yourself a schedule or just print one off online eg off bodybuilding.com or from a workout program with videos. It will keep you motivated to remind you to do it every day.

“The Qurʿān was meant to be acted upon, but people took reciting it as the required deed.”

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Romantic Encapsulated Handmade Jewelry by Kay Bells

Artist and owner Kay Bells of the indie boutique Ruby Robin creates stunning handmade pieces, which are encapsulated with quiet reminders of nature. Bells aim is to capture the inspiring beauty and vulnerability of flowers into a romantic token, which could be worn every day. With a whimsical and victorian sensibility, Bells’ handmade jewelry resembles an object worn by fairies in a mystical forest. She explains:

“My handcrafted jewellery is designed to allow the quiet beauty of nature to shine, to stir the imagination, inspire wonder and encapsulate a microcosm of long forgotten memories. I make my jewellery using a range of strange and beautiful curiosities, found in the woods and on the mountain sides, on the windswept beaches and wild meadows.”

You can find more ethereal designs on her Etsy shop.

Kristin Cashore (via noorshirazie)

more book recommendations on my blog The Bookavid

Hi ^^ For years now I’ve been really bothered by all the misinformation on the internet about skincare. So let’s put an end to that so that you can all have amazing skin for back to school! Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about skincare. Enjoy!

The very basics

READ THE INGREDIENT LIST: I don’t care if your moisturizer is $60, it most likely has the same awful ingredients as a drugstore one but with a fancier packaging and smell. Ingredients are what makes or breaks a product and not just the ‘miracle x ingredient’ advertised on the packaging, every other ingredient is just as important.

Ingredients are all the same, if it says grapeseed oil, you’re getting grapeseed oil, it’s not higher quality because the product is more expensive.

I know you’re going ‘ain’t nobody got time for that’ but PLEASE, make time for that. Just quickly scanning the ingredient list, you’ll be able to spot harmful ingredients and save your money.

The more towards the bottom an ingredient is, the less of that ingredient the product contains. Meaning if the product claims to have x ingredient but it’s towards the bottom, it’s as good as nothing.

USE SUNSCREEN. Yes, every day. Even if it’s cloudy. Even you’re staying inside. @educatier made a wonderful post about it, but here are the main reasons why you should:

UVA rays go through windows and are present as long as the sun is out. They cause AGING and SKIN CANCER. UVB causes burning and tanning.

Acne is an inflammatory disease (discussed below). The sun causes inflammation. The sun WILL make your acne worse.

Acne scars are mostly inflammation and melanin. Sun rays will basically etch them onto your skin.

Any products you put on your face will be basically wasted. At the rate the sun damages your skin, no anti-oxidant, retinol, whatever can work fast enough to help your skin repair itself. If you want a visual annalogy, your skin cells are like construction workers, any products you put on are like machinery that helps them build. Sun rays are wrecking balls.

If you’re using retinoid, benzoyl peroxide or salycilic acid (discussed below), and not using sunscreen, you’re basically ageing yourself twice as fast.

The acid mantle

The acid mantle is a lipid layer that keeps your skin’s pH slightly acidic (around 4.5). Products that have a much higher/lower pH will compromise it. This will cause dehydration, slower repair rate (read: acne scars for longer) and make a general mess out of your skin.

Why irritation is so harmful

When a product irritates your skin, it stimulates the nerve endings under your skin. One of the consequences of this is that they send a signal to your oil glands to produce more oil (more acne, yay!). It’s also been shown to cause collagen breakdown

CHICKEN SHAWARMA SALAD

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