Wacky Beauty Tips That Work

Toothpaste on a zit? Vinegar in your hair? Some of that ridiculous-sounding advice you've heard in passing is really right on.

By Eleanor Langston

You've been told this line before: "Okay, I know it's weird, but...." What follows is a surprising piece of advice — about anything from clearing up a zit to taming a flyaway — that totally does the trick. Call it word-of-mouth beauty. Sure, these tips might sound strange at first ("You put diaper cream where?!"), but there's a logic to them. We rounded up tons of such pointers (from pros as well as real girls) and tested them at Cosmo. Though a few clunkers had to be kicked to the curb, all the rest, presented here, are real gems.

1) Powder Your Roots
If your hairline starts to look greasy, dig up a big, fluffy makeup brush, and dip it into a pot of loose powder. Tap it once on the back of your hand to remove the excess, then dust it over your roots. It mops up oil and blends into your strands, so no one will know you didn't shower.

2) Scent Strands with Perfume
Spray a light shot of fragrance into your brush's bristles. Run it through strands from roots to ends and your hair will smell amazing throughout the day.

3) Cure Calluses with Vaseline
Slather on the petroleum jelly, and put on socks before bed to dissolve tough calluses overnight.

4) Spot-Treat Smudges
Dip a cotton swab in eye-makeup remover, and trace it along your lids to erase any slipups or goofs when there's no time to redo your whole look.

5) Fix a Flushed Face
If you turn red and stay that way after exercising (like seriously red for hours, even though you're healthy and hydrated), take an antihistamine like Benadryl when you leave the gym to reduce redness.

6) Soften Your Bod with Avocado
Take a ripe avocado, remove the pit and skin, and mash it up in a bowl. Slather it all over your body, let it sit for 20 minutes, then rinse off. Your skin will be sooo soft — avocado is a natural moisturizer.

7) Super-Glue a Nail
Instead of tearing off your nail when it breaks, put a tiny dab of Super Glue over the split, and paint a generous layer of your favorite nail polish shade over it. Go for an opaque option (like red, purple, or coral) to camouflage and seal the crack.

8) Use Makeup Remover on Stubborn Lipstick
Don't try to rub off red lipstick (which makes it smear across your mouth — not so sexy). Instead, take a cotton ball or tissue, dip it in makeup remover, and just dab to erase the dark stain fast.

9) Tame Brows with Eye Cream
Pat any kind of rich eye cream over brows to help keep them hydrated and banish those icky white specks that look like dandruff.

10) Buff with Baking Soda
If you find yourself streaking (not glowing) after applying self-tanner, put some baking soda on a loofah, and scrub away the stripes.

11) Brush on Hair Spray
For the final step of your blow-dry, spray hair spray onto your brush, and run it through strands from roots to tips. This way, your 'do isn't plastered and stiff but still holds volume and shine.

12) Boost Body Lotion with Baby Oil
If you're craving shiny legs that aren't greasy, blend a drop of baby oil into your normal body lotion for extra luster.

13) Dab Essential Oil on a Hangnail
Put on apricot oil, the kind found in health-food stores, to protect cuticles from turning rough and raggedy.

14) Quell a Cold Sore with Cream
When a cold sore is coming on, dab a bit of thick moisturizer, like Aquaphor, over it to prevent it from getting worse.

15) Freeze Your Eyeliner
If the tip of your eyeliner pencil crumbles and smears on your lids, store the liner in the freezer for 15 minutes before use so the tip is firm and goes across your skin smoothly.

16) Use Toothpaste on a Zit
Use just a pea-size amount. Let sit for 15 minutes to absorb the oil so the pimple won't get more clogged, then wash off.

17) Heat Up Your Curler
If you have stick-straight lashes, try blasting your metal eyelash curler with a hair dryer for a couple of seconds to heat it up so your lashes bend more easily. And use a waterproof mascara. The formula dries faster than other mascaras, so it sets the curl more effectively.

18) Use Soap Without Water
You know those fancy bars that are actually too pretty to use? Toss them in your underwear or tee-shirt drawers to make your skin smell delicious.

19) Groom Brows with a Toothbrush
Mist an (unused!) toothbrush or eyebrow comb with hair spray to help flatten and tame unruly brows.

20) Put Diaper-Rash Cream on Dry Spots
Slather on a thick layer of diaper-rash cream to heal cracked elbows and feet.

21) Lubricate Your Lashes
An easy way to draw attention to your eyes without putting on a pile of makeup is to comb petroleum jelly lightly through the tips of eyelashes to get a sexy, subtle sparkle.

22) Steamroll Flyaways
Spray on hair spray, then roll the can over your strands. The round bottle fits the curved shape of your head, locks in the spray, and flattens out frizz.

23) Spike Lotion with Bronzer
If you don't have time to book a self-tanning session, mix a few pumps of body bronzer with regular hand lotion and pat it on your legs for a gradual dose of sexy, beachy color.

24) Air-Dry Your Curls
Let your hair dry indoors before going out in the cold. The curls will be really bouncy and piecey-perfect.

25) Press a Tea Bag on Splotches
If your skin is sensitive or just looking irritated and puffy for some reason, steep a bag of green tea for a minute or two, let it cool down, and dab it over your face. The antioxidants in the tea take down inflammation.

26) Shave with Conditioner
Ran out of shaving cream? Do double duty by coating your stems with a thick hair conditioner. It softens the hair so it's easier to shave off and makes legs feel amazingly silky.

27) Amp Shine with Vinegar
Mix one part vinegar with four parts carbonated water, and soak dry hair. Leave on for 15 minutes before you shampoo to lock in shine and combat dullness.

28) Exfoliate Your Pits
If your underarms start to look dry and flaky, an easy trick is to exfoliate them with a gentle face scrub to keep that skin pretty when going sleeveless.

29) Customize Your Body Lotion
Instead of shelling out for an expensive perfumed body product, you can make your own by pouring a few drops of fragrance into any scent-free lotion. Rub it on — the scent will last for hours.

30) "Brush" with Mouthwash
If you're too wiped out after a late night of partying to clean your teeth, rinse with water and mouthwash, then use a dry toothbrush on the area where your teeth hit your gums.

31) Make an Egg-White Mask
To revive tired, dull skin without hitting the spa table, try this: Crack open an egg in a bowl, separate the yolk, and use the egg whites to make a face mask. The proteins help to heal and restore skin's moisture. Leave it on for five minutes, then rinse off.

32) Dry Sensitive Skin with T.P.
Instead of drying your face with a scratchy towel, pat with toilet paper — it's ultrasoft on delicate skin (and bums!).

Shrink Your Belly in 14 Days

The research is in! Our fastest-ever routine will firm and flatten you from all angles in just 2 weeks

By Marianne McGinnis, Prevention

We have some great news for your abs: The ultimate piece of belly-flab-busting equipment is a $30 stability ball. When researchers at California State University, Sacramento, hooked up electrodes to the midsections of 18 people, they found that ball moves recruited twice the number of muscle fibers as traditional crunches or yoga/Pilates-inspired workouts. Scientists credit the ball's instability with doubling the toning power of these moves. To amp up results, we combined ball exercises from the study with high-energy cardio and simple calorie-cutting tips. In 2 weeks, you could lose up to an inch from your waist; in 4 weeks, shed up to 8 pounds or more.

The Experts: Rafael Escamilla, PhD, PT, study author and professor of physical therapy at California State University, Sacramento, and Wayne Westcott, PhD, research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, MA, designed these workouts.

Program at a Glance

Your Workout:

WEEK 1

Monday — Cardio Routine 1 (45-60 minutes)

Tuesday — Belly Workout, on page 2, (once, 25-30 minutes)

Wednesday — Cardio Routine 2 (35-45 minutes)

Thursday — Belly Workout (once, 25-30 minutes)

Friday — Cardio Routine 1 (45-60 minutes)

Saturday — Belly Workout (once, 25-30 minutes)

Sunday — Cardio Routine 2 (35-45 minutes)

WEEK 2

Monday — Belly Workout (twice, 45-50 minutes)

Tuesday — Cardio Routine 1 (45-60 minutes)

Wednesday — Belly Workout (twice, 45-50 minutes)

Thursday — Cardio Routine 2 (35-45 minutes)

Friday — Belly Workout (45-50 minutes)

Saturday — Cardio Routine 1 (45-60 minutes)

Sunday — Belly Workout (twice, 45-50 minutes)

Your Eating Plan:

How it works: Our Eat for a Slim Belly plan relies on simple food swaps to cut about 500 calories from your diet daily. Our recommendations also boost your intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and whole grains — studies show both shrink belly fat faster.

Do 12 to 15 reps of each. Between each exercise, do a cardio burst — 2 minutes of jumping rope, marching or jogging in place, stair climbing or stepping, or doing jumping jacks. Remember to warm up and cool down by marching or stepping side to side in place for 3 to 5 minutes at the beginning and end of your workout.

Cardio Burst: These 2-minute high-energy bouts will double your calorie burn to speed up fat loss and reveal a slimmer belly in less time.

How to Buy a Ball

Most people need a 22-inch (or 55 cm) stability ball. If you're under 5-foot-1, choose an 18-inch (or 45 cm) one, or a 26-inch (or 65 cm) ball if 5-foot-8 or taller. They're available in sporting goods stores (about $30) or online. We like the Gymnic Plus (performbetter.com) because it's made with burst-resistant, latex-free vinyl, and if punctured, it will deflate slowly.

Belly Workout

1. Reverse Crunch

Lie faceup with calves resting on ball, arms at sides. Press legs into ball, squeezing it between calves and thighs. Contract abs and lift hips 3 to 6 inches off floor and pull knees toward chest. Hold for 1 second, then lower.

(Cardio burst: 2 minutes)

Make it easier

Contract abs and just lift ball off floor, keeping hips down.

Make it harder [1A]

Keeping neck in line with spine, lift head and shoulders off floor as you raise hips. Hold, then lower both upper body and hips.

2. Rock and Roll

Start on knees, with legs about hip-width apart. Place fists on ball in front of you. Keeping body in line from head to knees and abs tight, lean forward and roll onto forearms. Hold for 1 second, then roll back to start.

(Cardio burst: 2 minutes)

Make it easier

Bend hips instead of keeping body in a straight line as you roll onto forearms, or keep body in line and roll only partway onto forearms.

Make it harder [2B]

Once you're balancing on forearms, straighten legs and press balls of feet into floor to form a straight line from head to heels. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat.




3. Ball Curl

Sit on ball, walk feet forward, and roll torso down until bottom of butt is just off ball and middle and lower back are on ball, feet together. Place hands behind head. Lean back, pressing upper back into ball, then exhale, contract abs, and curl forward until upper back lifts off ball.

(Cardio burst: 2 minutes)

Make it easier

Place feet wider than hip-width apart for more stability, and cross arms over chest.

Make it harder [3C]

Straighten one leg so it's parallel to floor and you're balancing on one foot. Do half the repetitions, then switch legs to finish.

4. Skier

Lie over ball on all fours. Walk hands forward so ball rolls under thighs, legs together, abs tight, and body in line from head to toes [4]. Bend knees and pull them and ball (it will roll to shins) toward right shoulder [4D]. Hold for 1 second, then roll back out and repeat to left side.

(Cardio burst: 2 minutes)

Make it easier

Hold start position — body in line from head to toes, abs contracted — for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat one more time.

Make it harder [4D]

Start with ball under shins and let it roll to tops of feet as you draw knees in.


5. Pike

Start in the same position as the Skier, legs together, ball under thighs, balancing on hands, and body in line from head to toes. Keeping legs straight, contract abs and lift hips up toward ceiling, rolling ball to shins. Hold for 1 second, then lower.(Cardio burst: 2 minutes)

Make it easier

Lift hips just a few inches and roll ball to about knees.

Make it harder [5E]

Start with ball under shins and roll to tops of feet and lift hips so torso is as vertical as possible, like you're doing a handstand.

Carve a Beach-Ready BodyGo hard for 30 seconds — and don't count reps

Go hard for 30 seconds — and don't count reps

By the Editors of Men's Health

This routine tests your willpower, says C.J. Murphy, M.F.S., a strength coach in Everett, Massachusetts. Start with 3 sets of the clean and press. Then do the next three moves in succession, with one twist: Don't count reps. Instead, do as many reps of each as you can in 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds between exercises, and repeat the three-move sequence once or twice.

1. Dumbbell clean and press

Holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, bend your knees. Jump up in one explosive movement as you shrug your shoulders and pull the weights up. Catch the weights at your shoulders and then press them overhead. Lower to the starting position. Do 6 reps total.

2. Cable squat with row

Attach an EZ-curl bar to the low pulley at a cable station. Grab the handles with your arms extended. Bend to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Stand up and draw the handles to your rib cage, and then straighten your arms back out in front of your chest.

3. Dumbbell burpee

Stand holding light dumbbells at your sides. Bend down until the weights touch the floor, then kick your feet behind you into a pushup position, resting your hands on the weights. Do a pushup, then bring your feet back underneath you and jump up. Land softly and move into your next repetition.

4. Dumbbell floor sweeper

Lie faceup holding dumbbells above your chest. Lift your legs up and out to the left, keeping them straight. Then return to center and repeat to the right. Return to center, lower your legs, and do a situp, keeping your arms straight above you.

Exercises For Abdominals

June 30, 2008 ·

Here’s a few simple abdominal exercises from my online personal training library that you can try. Try 3 sets of 30 seconds for the planks and 3 sets of 12-15 reps for the others. Let me know what you think.

I’ve been digging through older (but still great =) workout programs that I’ve put together for some of my personal training clients in the past. Many of them are written on paper and I’m in the process of transferring them over to my incredible new software that shows you a .gif animation of the exercise plus written instructions, as seen below.

You will soon be able to purchase a select few of these exact resistance training programs that my clients have used in the past to completely change their bodies.

I’ll keep you updated.

Plank
1. Start by placing your forearms on the ground and forming a plank with your forearms and feet.
2. Hold this position keeping your body parallel to the ground for the required time.

Side Plank
1. Lay on the ground on one side. Raise your body using one forearm and support it in this raised position for the required time.
2. Lower your body and repeat on the other side.
3. Remember to keep your head, neck and body in a straight line.

Alternating Toe Touch
1. Start position: Lie back onto floor or bench with feet up into the air. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
2. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominal and raise shoulders off floor or bench. Extend one arm and reach for the opposite foot. Return to start position and repeat with other hand.
Remember to keep head and back in a neutral position. Hyperextension or flexion may cause injury. To increase resistance, hold medicine ball in hands. To decrease resistance, position hand closer towards body

Ankle Wiggles
1) Start position: Lie back onto floor or bench with knees bent and hands at your side. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
2) Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominal and raise shoulders off floor or bench. Reach for you ankle with one hand and repeat with the other side.
3) Return to start position.
4) Remember to keep head and back in a neutral position. Hyperextension or flexion of either may cause injury.

Air Bike Crunches
1. Start by lying on your back with your hands behind your back and thighs bent 90 degrees at your hip.
2. Simultaneously curl your right shoulder and left knee up towards the center of your body until your elbow and knee touch. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other side.
3. Continuously repeat this pattern for the prescribed repetitions.

Flutter Kicks
1) Lie back onto floor or bench with both knees bent and feet flat. Place hands at sides.
2) Contract abdominal muscles continuously to stabilize trunk (or tuck stomach in by drawing naval in towards spine). Lower back should be in a neutral position.
3) Start position: Straighten both legs so that they are perpendicular to floor.
4) Slowly lower one leg to approximately 45-90°.
5) Return to start position and repeat with other leg.

Cutting-Edge Weight Loss Tips For Men

Weight gain and therefore, weight loss strategies, are different for men. How to keep it off — for good.

By Heather Hurlock, Best Life

Binge Early, Weigh Less

Go ahead and order that hungry-man breakfast. Eating more of your daily calories at breakfast will keep you from gaining weight, according to a new report in the American Journal of Epidemiology. After following 6,764 healthy, fit people for almost four years, researchers found that those who ate 22 percent of their daily calories in the morning (about 550 calories for a 2,500-calorie diet) gained only 1.7 pounds in that time. Those who ate less than 11 percent of their calories at breakfast gained 2.7 pounds.

America's Obesity Explained

We now have someone to blame for our expanding waistlines: the USDA. According to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the national dietary guidelines advising Americans to eat a low-fat diet may have contributed to the current obesity epidemic. People have replaced fat with sugar and carbohydrates, which has increased Americans' total caloric intake and set them up for a host of metabolic disorders, say the study's authors, adding that low-fat foods are not diet foods. A healthy, balanced diet should emphasize vegetables, fruits, beans, unrefined whole grains, and mono- and polyunsaturated fats, with a lighter emphasis on yogurts, cheeses, poultry, fish, and lean beef.

Secret Fat Burners

Probiotics, friendly bacteria like those found in yogurt and pickles, may be the key to losing those last stubborn inches around your waist. They not only help the digestive system work properly, but also have a profound effect on the metabolism, according to a new study in Molecular Systems Biology. The bacteria Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus can change how much fat is available for the body to absorb by influencing stomach acids during digestion. The best sources of live bacteria are yogurt, acidophilus milk, miso soup, soft cheeses, pickles, and sauerkraut.

Slim Down With Sugar

New research conducted at Purdue University has linked artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and sucralose to weight gain. In an animal study, the researchers found that ingesting regular sugar, rather than zero-calorie substitutes, results in fewer overall calories consumed. The scientists believe that disrupting the connection between sweet taste and high caloric content makes people crave more food. This finding correlates with another recent study that linked diet soda to obesity.

Cut and Run

Eliminating just 100 excess calories a day is enough to prevent a five- to 10-pound weight gain (the former if you're active, the latter if you are a couch potato). The best way to cut calories is to eat a diet that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers found that diets high in protein (30 percent of total calories) and low in carbs (4 percent of total calories) are best for reducing calorie intake without increasing hunger. Three slices of bacon is approximately 100 calories.

Parody the French

Americans eat until external cues, such as an empty plate, tell them to stop, says a study in the journal Obesity. The French use internal cues, such as no longer feeling hungry, to determine when a meal should end. The lesson: Listen to your stomach and you'll stay slim.

from msn health