These 10 Habits Mean You’re a Likable Person

It is easy for people to convince themselves that they don’t need to be likable. The difficult truth is even the biggest introvert needs to be liked by at least one person otherwise, it’s a really lonely world out there. If you find yourself not being included in work lunches or Friday evening plans, you may want to do some things that you probably already do more often and with a conscious thought process to make yourself more likable. There are certain habits that people who are likable often have.

In our day to day lives usually we see the same people everyday. There are people we like to be around and others we generally would rather avoid or not see at all. You see them coming towards you and you immediately start coming up with ways to avoid having a conversation with them. On the flip side, there are people you can’t wait to see on a Monday morning to share details of your weekend because they are just nice people to be around. These people have really good social skills and they tend to be very likable.

Some of the habits noted below are things you may have noticed about people who are likable. They are habits that you may already have but need to do more often.

1. You are not a know-it-all.

You don’t jump into conversations and act like you know everything. You listen to other people and you ask appropriate questions. You tend to make people feel good about themselves. People find themselves gravitating to you for advice or just small talk.

2. You mind your own business.

You aren’t a snob but you generally don’t give your input where it is not needed. It is quite annoying when you have a person in the office who eavesdrop on conversations and provides their opinions when they aren’t invited to do so. You know when you are needed and when it is a good idea to keep a low profile.

3. You don’t hold grudges.

You let things go especially when the argument is inconsequential. You have learned over time to be the bigger person which makes you win people’s admiration. People like you because they have a clean slate with you. You are not a pushover because you let people know what they have crossed the line but you also don’t hold it against them in the long run.

4. You are patient.

You give people opportunities, room to grow, and space to inherently make mistakes. You know that everything in life has a learning curve and you give people around you a chance to grow into themselves. This makes you more likable because people can trust you. You are often the person people come to for help around the office if something isn’t working.

5. You give compliments.

You notice things about people which means you are not self centered. Often people see you and they smile genuinely because they are happy to see you. People subconsciously remember you said something nice about them which makes you more likable.

6. You notice the good things about people.

Sometimes, it is difficult to work with people who have different personalities especially when they are so different from our own. You are able to see the good in people and focus more on it than on the bad which has opened many opportunities for you because you are likable. You are able to capitalize on the good things and people feel appreciated around you.

7. You don’t jump into conclusions.

There is nothing more annoying than someone who doesn’t know all the facts forming an inappropriate or unfair conclusion. You take in the details and weigh all the facts. That way you don’t come of as unfair or biased. People respect you and like you more because you take time to analyze issues before making premature conclusions.

8. You are genuine.

It is becoming harder to meet genuine people these days which makes you more likable. You are not phony and you also don’t entertain fake people. You give constructive criticism and people often come to you when they have an issue they need to resolve because they know you genuinely care about them. Once you have built a reputation for being genuine, anything you say or do for them comes from a good place. When people need your help they know they can count on you to provide adequate support without taking all the credit.

9. You are generous.

You are not stingy with good things. If you find a discount or deal, you share it with the people around you. You are the type of person who brings snacks from the places you have been on vacation to the office. If there is something you can do to help someone you find a way to extend yourself which makes people like you. You help when needed without being overbearing.

10. You are a confidant.

You can be relied on to keep people’s secrets. You do not betray confidences and people trust you. You know how sensitive information can be and you are keen to ensure that you don’t let the people that trust you down.

This Is How You Become Unattractive And You’re Not Aware of It

Everyone strives to be a great person, kind, caring, and compassionate. But for some people, that’s not always the case. There are many behaviors or ‘bad habits’ that people have that make them seem unattractive, annoying, or someone that no one wants to be around with. A few of these harmful characteristics are offered for you below, and if you happen to realize that you embody any of them – quit! You might find your circle of friends grow once you do.

1. You are Self-Absorbed

Many people do this without realizing it. You focus solely on yourself, talk only about yourself, and often don’t care what others around you have to say. You think you’re the only one that matters. If this is you, it’s time to change. No one wants to be friend with someone who only cares about themselves.

2. You Focus on Outer Beauty, Ignoring What’s Inside

Surprisingly, true beauty comes from within your heart, body, and soul. Your physical appearance isn’t something that matters the most, but people with unattractive behaviors think that outer beauty is all that matters. Take a look in the mirror – deep within yourself – and you might see what lies beneath. An ugly person. Unless you change your way of thinking.

3. You are Always in Competition

Are you the person who has to be better than everyone else, see more, do more? If so, you’re an unattractive person. You should care more about your friends, and let them have their moment. If they overcame their fear of heights and climbed 10 feet in the air, don’t say, “That’s all? I’ve climbed 30 feet!” Instead say, “Wow! That’s awesome. I’m really proud of you.”

4. You View Your Friends as Enemies

People who are seen as unattractive are often in fights with their friends. Instead of banning together and truly being able to care for others, you’re always turning your back, and stabbing them in theirs. Your friends are not your enemies. They are your allies.

5. You Question Your Importance to Others

You are definitely an unattractive person when you constantly question why others don’t see you as important as you think they should. For instance, your two friends went somewhere without you – it doesn’t matter to them – but to you it does. Get over it. They’re still your friend, and their lives don’t stop when you’re not around.

6. You are the Boss

In a group of friends, everyone should be on an equal playing field. If you’re the one always making decisions, constantly needing to be in charge, or trying to control what others are doing, you’re acting in an unattractive way.

7. You are Dishonest

When it comes to being a great friend, or someone whom others want to be around, you need to be honest. Many people who partake in ugly behaviors are often dishonest, lying about everything, inquiring about every question asked about them, and how they truly feel about different things. Yes, honesty is the best policy.

8. You are Rude

If you’re the person that’s frequently impolite, offensive, or embarrassing your friends with your rude comments in public – quit. You’re not someone people would want to be around. There are going to be times when you don’t agree with someone, or see something you didn’t want to see, but there’s no point in making a scene, because you’re making everyone look at your terrible behavior and they’re not seeing what you’re seeing.

9. You are Unreliable, Yet Dependent Upon Others

Are you there when your friends call for help? Or are you always busy when someone needs you? If you’re the person no one can count on, that’s an unattractive quality in friendships. Similarly, if you’re the one always calling for help from others, yet never offering yours when they need it, that’s another unattractive quality that no one wants in a friend.

10. You are Always Negative

Pessimism is not an attractive quality. If you’re constantly putting things down, or seeing situations in a negative light, try and change your attitude. Nobody wants to be friends with someone who’s constantly seeing the negative instead of the positive.

8 Signs You Have A Strong Personality That Might Scare Some People

When people encounter someone with a strong personality, they don’t understand the kind of person they are dealing with.

Some people think you dominate. Some just think you are rude. But none of these are the truth. These words actually do not reflect your personality at all. In fact, strong people are often kittens on the inside. It’s just that people with domineering personalities just give you a bad rep.

Strong people do not have to win, they just are not willing to let other people walk all over them on the outside.

Sure, some people might be afraid of you. But that is only because they do not understand how you can be so comfortable with yourself that you do not need anyone else to validate you.

Here are eight signs that you have a strong personality that might scare some people.

You Don’t Put Up With Excuses

Strong personalities do not put up with excuses. When you have a strong personality, you’re not willing to listen to people waste time whining about what they can do. You would rather focus on what you can do and how you can overcome obstacles to do more.

Don’t question yourself for not making excuses. There might be a lot of reasons that you can’t do something but there are more reasons that you can.

You Are Careful About Who You Let Into Your Life

As a strong person, you do not rely on other people to tell you who you are, what you are or what you can do. You recognize that some people need to do that to make themselves feel better. You also recognize that some people need to hear these things to feel whole.

Even if you don’t yet know exactly who you are, you know that you do not need a boyfriend, girlfriend, boss, best friend or family member to tell you what you’re capable of. You can figure that out on your own.

You Hate Small Talk

Small talk is terrible. If you have a strong personality, you have a lot of ideas. You do not want to waste time talking about people when you could be changing the world.

You Can’t Stand Insensitivity, Idiocy or Ignorance

Dominating personalities come from a lack of influence or knowledge. Strong personalities are the result of being thoughtful and well-informed. There is a huge difference between the two.

Because you have put time and effort into using your brain for good, you hate it when people make instant judgements about things they do not know anything about. This is probably your best quality but not because you can use your knowledge to influence people. It is because you can use it to encourage people to actually think about what they say before it falls out of their mouth.

You Know How to Listen

People with strong personalities know how to listen. You might think that people would appreciate this. But in reality, being heard and encouraged actually terrifies people who are not used to it.

You Do Not Need Attention

Having this type of personality means that you do not need attention. Most people that you encounter think that you thrive on it but this is not the truth. It just that your personality attracts people to you. The amount of socializing you do is not because you want to do it but because people need people like you around.

Despite this perception, you still need time to recharge. Don’t be afraid to take it. It is just as important to take care of yourself as it is to take care of other people.

You Are Fearless

Okay, this one is not true. There is probably one thing that you are afraid of. But the difference between you and other people is that you do not let this fear dictate the way you live your life.

You Take Insecurity As An Opportunity

Insecurity for you is an opportunity to do better. You know you’re not perfect but if you are not trying to learn and evolve, despite the risk of looking like a fool, then you are not living. You are just existing.

They say everyone is insecure and this is probably true. But not everyone has to stop this insecurity from letting them live their life and own the things that they are insecure about.

Sure, some people think that people with big personalities are difficult to be around. But you’re only difficult to be around because you challenge other people to be the best version of themselves! If this is what being difficult is like than you already know that it is best to just keep being you.

9 Tips You Should Really Do When You Want To Lose Weight Fast

Weight loss is a touchy subject for most people. Speaking as a person who’s had to deal with weight issues, I can tell you right now that it’s both a fairly straightforward affair and incredibly difficult to pull off, let alone pull off in a healthy and efficient manner. I’ve gone from being a skinny teen – going from 130 pounds on my first day at high school to 140 pounds by the end of it – to shooting all the way up to 205 pounds in my third year of college, after I’ve quit smoking and started spending more time at homes with books, all the way back down to a relatively lean 165 pounds, packing on a bit more muscle.

It’s been one hell of a journey, and I still need a lot more work to reach my initial goal of settling at a lean and muscular 170. I’m telling you all this because I want you to know that I understand just how different weight loss goals can be for people, and that some require drastic measures to achieve. Right now I’m all about taking things slowly, but back when I shot past 200 pounds, I knew I needed to jump start the whole process and get some serious results within 3-4 months.

With a lot of sacrifices and a strict regime I managed to lose 13 pounds in little over a month (some of it being water weight), and then I slowed things down a bit and shed the other 22 pounds of extra flab (and a bit of muscle I must admit) in about 6 months. Those fast results at the beginning really help keep you motivated, but there are a lot of things to consider if you want to pull it of effectively.

1. Forget about rewards and cheating, your reward is getting fit

If you are going to take the plunge and start a training regime that allows you to lose weight fast, you are going to need to develop the right mindset. Losing a solid 10-15 pounds of fat over the course of 4-6 months can be done at a slow and steady pace, with enough wiggle room to make you feel comfortable. However, if you want to get the same results in 6 weeks, you need to be prepared to make huge sacrifices and be fairly uncomfortable for a while.

You mustn’t reward yourself with a big bowl of ice cream after a week of successful dieting, or make Sundays your fast food days because eat will slow down your progress. Think about what you will achieve if you stick to the program rigorously, and let that sexy reflection in the mirror be your reward and motivation.

2. Don’t set arbitrary limitations, just count your calories and protein intake

While simple little lifestyle changes can be enough to put you in a 300-400 calorie deficit every day, it will take forever to lose a significant amount of weight this way. Switching to diet soda, replacing one daily junk food meal with a big salad, not eating past 7pm, walking an hour a day and doing 10 minutes of jumping jacks in the morning are all great strategies for someone who has trouble with those stubborn last 10 pounds of fat, but for fast results you need a huge deficit.

You’ll need a deficit of over 25% of your total maintenance level calories for rapid results, and this means being careful about counting everything. By simply using smaller plates and cutting your serving size by about a third, you can guesstimate, but it’s best to tack calories a bit more precisely. You want to make sure that a large portion of these calories come in the form of protein, in order to avoid losing large amounts of muscle mass along with the fat. You need at least 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight, but preferably closer to 2g per kg, or around 1g per pound, when on a severely restrictive diet.

3. Take care of your gut

Our gut flora features a huge number of bacteria, and most of them are actually useful. They help us digest food and keep our stomachs healthy, but there are also other types of bacteria that can have a negative effect on our health. The balance of these bacteria can also determine whether we have a hard time losing weight or not. It is important to make sure that your diet not only consists of nutritious food, but that you are also taking in a good amount of healthy probiotics with your meals. With your gut working like a well-oiled machine you will be able to lose weight a bit more quickly – you won’t burn twice as many calories, but you will definitely notice an improvement over the course of several weeks.

4. Train for maximal strength, but don’t overdo it

You absolutely have to do strength training, preferably using heavy barbell and dumbbell exercises. If your don’t have access to a gym, do bodyweight exercises and slap on a heavy backpack to add resistance or do more challenging variations as you get stronger. The goal is to tell your body, in no uncertain terms, that you need all those muscles on a regular basis, so that it burns mostly fat. The idea of doing high reps to “get cut” or “tone” the muscles, e.g. 15-25 repetitions per set, is a huge fallacy – the muscles can either grow or get smaller, and the amount of fat they are buried under determines how well you can actually see the muscles.

However, you should only do enough work to stimulate the muscles and then leave, as you simply won’t have enough energy to recover properly from a hard workout, nor the calories to actually grow the muscles further. The goal is to preserve muscle mass and pump up your metabolism, so two full-body training sessions a week, or doing fewer overall sets are the preferred strategy here.

5. Keep moving, jumping and running

It is possible to maintain a big calorie deficit purely through diet, but it is much easier and healthier to burn as much as you can through cardio training. If you need to cut 1000 calories, it’s best to ensure that you burn through about 300-400 with training, so that you’ll only need to cut another 600-700 calories from your diet.

Daily walks, taking the stairs and cleaning the house are great low intensity activities, while jumping rope, running, aerobics and martial arts type training are good moderate intensity activities. You can find something fun that challenges you and allows you to gauge your progress more clearly, but just keep moving your body.

6. Drink plenty of water before meals, and snack on fruit and vegetables

A nice little dirty tip is to drink a couple of glasses of water some 20-30 minutes before each meal, so that your stomach fills up and you can’t eat as much. A glass of water is also a great way to suppress feelings of hunger, but if you really feel like devouring an entire pizza, then eat a couple of apples, a few carrots or a simple salad. The dietary fibre will help keep the hunger away, and these “snacks” won’t have many calories.

7. Throw out all tempting junk food out of the house 

This is an incredibly important piece of wisdom that you need to start utilizing right now – you can’t be tempted to reach for a soda bottle from the fridge, if the only thing you have in the fridge are veggies, lean meat and other low-calorie healthy foods. You’ll need to purge your house of all snacks, sodas and junk food from day one, and fill the fridge and cupboards up with healthy diet-friendly options.

8. Always have quick and simple food options readily available

Recommending that you always have enough ingredients to prepare a meal in about 2 minutes may seem counter-intuitive when it comes to weight loss, but there’s a method to the madness. You see, the main problem with healthy food is that you need to prepare it yourself, which takes time. Sure, you can prepare it in advance and keep it in a plastic container, but sooner or later you will be tempted to just make a sandwich or order takeout.

If you have some pre-cooked chicken breast, oatmeal and frozen fruit, a potato you can bake in the microwave or pre-cut veggies mixed in a bowl, then you can prepare a snack in a couple of minutes and quench that hunger before it gets out of control. Even a few bites can be enough to calm you down and help you fight the urge to raid a fast food joint.

9. Remember to stabilize at a sustainable maintenance diet

These are all very important tips for cutting lots of fat quickly, but you have to remember that such extreme diets aren’t sustainable in the long run, and that you can’t simply go back to your old eating habits after those initial 2-3 months of rapid weight loss. Once you’ve reached the initial goal, it’s time to buckle down, calculate maintenance calories, find a balance between healthy eating and junk meals – 80-90% healthy and 10-20% junk food is the best solution – and reinforce your new habits.

If you want to lose weight fast, these tips will help get you to your goal with the least amount of hassle, but understand that you can’t just get the body you’ve wanted and then kick back and relax. Long term fitness is about putting in the work every week and pacing yourself, and this requires lots of little lifestyle changes, but jump starting your weight loss with something a bit more extreme can be both healthy and motivating if done correctly.

7 Effective Ways To Kick Your Belly Fat Away

Look, I know that the title almost sounds too good to be true, as you’ll find a huge number of similar tips online. However, I’m not here to give you unrealistic expectations and sell you my special brand of fat-destroying snake oil, nor am I here to hold your hand and tell you that you should ease into it slowly. I’m a guy that’s been very skinny, bulky, fairly fat and eventually nice and proportional for my height and skeletal structure, so I tend to be a realist.

I’ve also had a number of friends who struggled with weight, and some of them managed to shed anywhere between 45 and 65 pounds, and none of us did it using a dramatically different method than the rest. In fact, all our lifestyle changes were fairly similar, and there was one constant – we all ate healthier foods, consumed less calories overall and trained our butts off.

You have to commit to a radically different lifestyle and have some patience, as belly fat is the last to go for a vast majority of people, and you can’t “target” it. All you can do is follow a few effective guidelines and wait for your body fat percentage to drop low enough for your body to finally start to let go of those last reserves of belly fat.

1. Switch to diet soda and eat fruit when you crave something sweet

Cutting calories can be a tricky task, because it’s difficult for most people to gauge portion size and realize just how many calories they are actually consuming. However, one aspect that contributes to at least 1/4 or 1/3 of most people’s daily calories are sugary drinks and candy. By giving these up you can easily drop some 800-1600 calories or even more, depending on how much of it you consume on a daily basis.

A 2 litre bottle of Coke or similar drink is about 800 calories, while a 100g bar of chocolate has about 500 calories. As a comparison, diet sodas have zero or close to zero calories, a medium-sized banana has 100 calories, 100g of strawberries have about 33 calories and a medium-sized apple has just under 100 calories. When you feel a need for something sweet, go with some fruit and a handful of nuts, or a bowl of muesli and some milk.

2. Opt for healthier foods and do your own cooking

Here are a couple of facts that you need to keep in mind when losing weight:

You will mostly eat foods that are readily available in your home

Most of the time, you’ll just eat what’s quick and convenient to prepare

When we understand these important points we can come up with easy solutions:

Fill up your freezer, fridge and pantries with healthy foods

Cook for the next few days or the entire week and have your meals ready to go

Not only will cooking your own food help you stick to a healthier diet, but it will also save you a lot of money. Restaurants and fast food joints are a problem, so instead of eating out you can have a nice dinner at your house from time to time, or go for a walk and have a picnic. You can bring your food to work in plastic containers. This way you won’t be tempted to go with high calorie foods.

3. Take the time to stretch and meditate when stressed or fatigued

Static stretches should be done after each workout, be it weightlifting or running, but they can also be used whenever you feel a bit agitated. Not only will some 10-15 minutes of stretching help alleviate joint pain and muscle soreness, but it will also help relax your mind. You essentially occupy your mind with the task at hand and forget about your worries for a while.

End these short stretching bouts with another 10 minutes of slow breathing in a comfortable position, and try to clear your mind and focus on counting every breath – once you get to ten, start over from one, and visualize the numbers appearing on a big white screen as you count. Effective stress management is very important for keeping your body and mind in good health, and will prevent things like emotional eating.

4. Walk at least 1-2 hours total each day

This is the easiest good habit to get into, and it is actually great for both your heart and weight loss. It doesn’t burn much calories compared to running, hitting the heavy bag or circuit training, but since it is much easier you’ll be less likely to skip a session, and won’t mind doing it for a couple of hours at a time.

A simple way to get more walking done is to park a little further away, use the stairs more often, take your dog out to the park, go shopping with some friends or just put on an audiobook or some music and make a few circles around the block. A good substitute can be household chores – some 30-60 minutes of vacuuming, dusting and washing dishes will burn enough calories to make a difference.

5. Do cardio while watching TV

Walking is good for your cardiovascular system and shedding a few extra calories, but nothing beats an intense cardio workout where you keep your heart rate elevated for some 10-20 minutes. Running is great and can be fun, but it tends to be a little hard on the joints, and it’s easy to find an excuse not to do it. This is why I would recommend getting an exercise machine and placing it in your living room, so you can get in a quick session while you watch some TV or listen to an audio book.

As far as home devices go, a rowing machine is an excellent choice, as it takes up little space, doesn’t waste electricity and gets your entire body involved in the movement, particularly the pulling muscles of the back and the abdominals, which most people neglect when training. Just be sure to make certain you’re using it properly, as you can hurt yourself with bad form!

6. Build a solid strength base

Pumping up those muscles a little bit serves several important purposes:

It gives you something to show off when the fat comes off

The training helps you burn some extra calories

The added muscle tone increases the amount of calories you burn when resting

Building strength will build a good amount of muscle as well, and the more muscle you have the more calories your body will need just to maintain the same weight, so you don’t have to cut your calories too low or go insane with the cardio exercises. It also makes you feel more agile and energetic, which will cause you to move around more throughout the day, burning yet more calories in the process.

7. Go to bed earlier and get a solid 8 hours of sleep

Getting enough sleep will help you reduce stress, improve concentration and allow your body to regulate its complex biochemistry and keep your metabolism high. If you fail to get adequate rest, you will have trouble pushing hard at the gym or staying consistent with your rowing or treadmill sessions. As an additional benefit, the less you stay awake at night, the less cravings you’ll experience – you can’t eat if you’re asleep.

These are proven methods that can help you cut your calories, improve digestion, burn a good amount of energy and increase your metabolism, all of which are needed to shed that persistent belly fat. It takes commitment and patience to get the results you want, but as long as you don’t make too many mistakes and stay consistent with these new habits, expect to see a sexy flat belly in a few months.

10 Benefits of Sleeping Naked You Probably Didn’t Know

Sleeping is one of the most important things we do every night. Getting the right amount of sleep has an untold number of health benefits and not getting enough sleep is a serious problem in many countries around the world. Did you know that you can get additional benefits by sleeping naked? 

Here are some benefits of sleeping in the nude:

1. It is easier.

When you don’t have to worry about sleeping in clothes, things start to get easier. You don’t have to buy pajamas, which can save you money. You have less clothes to wash and less clothes to put away. You may have to clean your bed sheets more often, but not nearly as often as you’d have to wash your pajamas when you run out.

2. It forces you to be ready to go more often.

Some people get off of work, change into their pajamas, and use this as an excuse to stay home the rest of the evening. This can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle, which has been attributed to things like weight gain. When you keep your regular clothes on, you tend to go out more often and that’s a good thing.

3. It can make you feel happier and more free.

Just imagine the feeling of laying in bed naked. You’re free of your pants and underwear. Women, you’re not wearing a constrictive bra. It’s just you sandwiched between two cool sheets. The feeling just makes you want to smile and it makes you feel more free. Everyone can use that kind of good feeling every now and then, and it may even help you be happier as a person.

4. Skin-on-skin contact is the best.

If you’re married, or living with your significant other, sleeping naked gives a greater chance of skin-on-skin contact, especially when it comes to cuddling. This kind of contact can also lead to a more active sex life. All of this releases copious amounts of oxytocin, which is the neurotransmitter that helps you feel those good feelings about your significant other.

5. It could lead to better sleep.

Let’s revisit the scenario I described above. There are no drawstrings or clothes getting tangled in sheets. You don’t have to worry about shirts getting twisted. All of these distractions go away when you sleep naked and it may help you get better, deeper sleep. You don’t need science to tell you that better, deeper sleep only helps you be healthier.

6. It can help your skin.

For once your body gets to breathe. Your private parts, armpits, and feet are generally restricted all day and are often covered by multiple layers, even in the summer time. Give those parts a chance to air out and breathe. This can lower the risk of skin diseases, like athlete’s foot, that result from wet, restricted skin.

7. Helps you regulate your cortisol.

Cortisol is a very strange chemical in the body but it can do a lot of damage. When you sleep naked, it helps keep your body temperature at the optimal ranges so your body can better create cortisol. If you sleep overheated your cortisol levels tend to stay high, even after you wake up. This can lead to increased anxiety, cravings for bad food, weight gain, and more terrible things. Sleep naked so you can keep your body temperature down and sleep well so your body can properly produce and regulate cortisol.

8. Balances your melatonin and growth hormone.

Continuing along that same vein, keeping your sleeping environment below 70 degrees (F) every night can help your body regulate its melatonin and growth hormone levels. These chemicals help the body do things like prevent aging and are essential to good health. When you sleep in clothes, your body heats up and prevents effective use of these hormones. In other words, sleeping with clothes on makes you grow old faster.

9. It can keep your sex organs happier.

For men, the cooler sleeping conditions allows your testes to remain at a cooler temperature. This helps keep your sperm healthy and your reproductive systems functioning as normal. For women, the cooler and more airy sleeping conditions can actually help prevent yeast infections. Yeast grows better in warm, moist conditions. When it’s cooler and dryer, the growth of yeast is prevented.

10. Sleeping in the summer is more bearable.

Summertime is a tricky time to get good sleep. If you don’t have air conditioning, then you may find your bedroom a bit stuffy at night. Shedding those bedtime clothes can help the bedroom feel more comfortable. You may even be able to turn the A/C off on those cooler nights, which can save you a few bucks on your electricity bill. Don’t wake up drenched in sweat again because your thermostat is downstairs and the hot air expands up to your bedroom where the thermostat can’t read the warm temperatures.

With these tips in mind, it’s time to start taking off your clothes at night! Of course, there are times where clothes are preferable. If you are ill or it’s cold outside, then you should sleep with clothes on to help you stay warm and prevent further illness. Otherwise, go commando!

5 Exercises That Will Show Your Lower Belly Who's Boss

When you're trying to target your lower abs, all abs-strengthening moves are not created equal. Fact is, some are much more effective at working those tough-to-get-to muscles. So we asked celebrity trainer Michelle Lovitt, an Asics America conditioning coach, for her top moves to target your lower belly. She came through with these five super-tough ones you'll love (after the fact, at least).

ROLLING PLANK

This core-stabilizing move improves strength throughout your core—especially in your lower abs, says Lovitt. Bonus: It also builds lower back strength, she says.

How to Do It: Begin in a plank position with your body forming a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles (A). Rotate to your left side and into a side plank. Hold for 10 seconds (B), then rotate into a right side plank and hold for another 10 seconds. That's one rep. Return to a plank position and repeat.

CROSS-BODY MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

Although this is a multi-tasking move that works you whole body, Lovitt says its main target is your lower abs—it engages your abdominals and oblique muscles (for stability) while also working your hips and low back.

How to Do It: Assume a pushup position with your arms completely straight. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles (A). Lift your right knee toward your left elbow (B), lower, then raise your left knee toward your right elbow. That's one rep. 

ROLL-UP

Since this move requires you to roll your body out one vertebra at a time (in other words, very slowly), you engage the deep abdominal muscles in your lower abs. You also use those deep abs muscles to keep your pelvis stable when you come back up, says Lovitt. "This is an amazing overall abs exercise," she says.

How to Do It: Lie flat with your legs squeezed together, your feet flexed at the ankles, and your arms reaching back close to your ears (A). Inhale with control as you bring your arms forward, shoulder-width apart, and plant the backs of your shoulders on the mat. The back is flat. Continue inhaling as you lift your head through your arms and begin rolling up and forward, one vertebra at a time (B). Exhale with control as you continue forward, reaching your arms across the room and trying to touch your forehead to your knees (C). Reverse the movements as you inhale with control back to position A. That's one rep.

SWISS BALL JACKKNIFE

This move really targets those tricky muscles in your lower belly, plus it works your rectus abdominus (as in, your six-pack muscles), hips, and low back, says Lovitt.

How to Do It: Assume a pushup position with your arms completely straight. Rest your shins on a Swiss ball. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your ankles (A). Without changing your lower back posture, roll the Swiss ball toward your chest by pulling it forward with your feet. Pause (B), then return the ball to the starting position by rolling it backward. That's one rep.

HANGING LEG RAISE

Lovitt says she loves this move for tackling your lower abs because it engages the deep psoas muscle (a muscle in your stomach in front of your spine), your low back, and of course, your lower abs.

How to Do It: Grab a chinup bar with an overhand shoulder-width grip, and hang from the bar with your knees slightly bent and feet together (A). Simultaneously bend your knees, raise your hips, and curl your lower back underneath you as you lift your thighs toward your chest. Pause when the fronts of your thighs reach your chest (B), then slowly lower your legs back to the starting posit

The four body shapes that hold the key to a woman's weight loss, according to celebrity personal traine

You've eaten too many mince pies, drunk more than enough mulled wine and may have turned your thoughts towards working off the Christmas pounds.

But before signing up for a gym membership, perhaps you should decide which of these body shapes you are.

Because that is the key to successfully achieving your goals, according to celebrity personal trainer Matt Roberts.

Yesterday Mr Roberts, whose clients include David and Samantha Cameron, said women’s bodies fall into four categories – apple, pear, hourglass and tubular. 

Body shapes

And as he gave his New Year’s fitness tips, which include swearing off alcohol for at least a month and cutting out all dairy except for milk in tea, Mr Roberts said it was ‘crucial’ to work with your shape.

Hourglass shapes – embodied by Myleene Klass, Kate Winslet or Nigella Lawson – should focus on their abdominals and go for long jogs or bike rides to help make themselves appear leaner.

Tubular women, such as Cara Delevingne or Keira Knightley, are advised to cut out cardiovascular work, avoid losing weight and instead do strength-based work to build muscle.

Pear shapes such as Beyonce and Rihanna, meanwhile, should work on building arm muscle and try out high-intensity interval training such as hill sprints.

And if like Melanie Griffith you are an apple, you can reduce your waistline with core work, long-duration cardio and leg weights to even out your shape.

Mr Roberts suggested visualising how you would like your body to look. ‘Think, what’s the best version of you?’ he said. ‘What do you actually want to look like in a year’s time? And have that as your reference point.’

Pear shapes like Rihanna should work on building arm muscle, while Tubular women like Keira Knightley are advised to cut out cardiovascular work, avoid losing weight and instead do strength-based work to build muscle 

But he added: ‘You need to be realistic about what your shape can become. If you look at Kate Moss and say, “I want to look like her, she looks great”, well she does. But if you’re an hourglass shape you are an hourglass shape so choose the role model for your shape that’s appropriate.’

He added: ‘If you get that right you can aspire to be the person you want to look like.

‘Otherwise it is just never going to happen, even with the best will in the world. You’ve got to tweak around your edges, not someone else’s.’

Mr Roberts went on to give his January weight loss tips, which include giving up alcohol and limiting dairy and sugar intake for a few weeks.

‘There’s three things to do in January that would get you guaranteed results,’ Mr Roberts said. ‘Stop drinking for four weeks because alcohol is a suppressant and it means we need other things to pick us up again.

‘Also reduce your dairy levels down to being just milk in tea but nothing else. And then look at your sugar levels.’

He added: ‘It’s only a small amount of time – spend January and February looking after yourself and you can look great, feel great and build towards looking fantastic in the summer.’

Top 10 Ways to Burn Fat after Having a Baby.

Have you ever looked at a woman’s shape and you wouldn’t believe that she has had deliveries? To some they always say it’s their body genes. As much as this may be somehow true, any woman can get back her shape even after delivering. All one needs is to burn the fats after going through a baby delivery. Below are the top 10 ways that you can burn these unnecessary fats after a delivery;

a. Get started while still pregnant; it is very normal to gain weight when you are pregnant and as much as you may have cravings, it is very advisable to watch the types of foods that you are eating. Just consume a bit of your cravings but concentrate much on healthy foods. Ensure that you walk some distance every day. This is not only helpful to you but it also allows blood flow get to the baby as well as getting fresh air into the lungs.

b. Get plenty of rest; sleeping when your baby is sleeping allows you to avoid long-term sleep deficits and it also ensures that your energy levels are kept high. Your cravings for sugar are also in check. Lack of enough rest brings about minimal movements through the working hours and you may not even have enough time for exercises.

c. Consider the available fat burner remedies; there are a lot of fat burners available. You may buy fat burners and it is good to for for the correct diet pills for you to achieve your intended goal. Consuming these fat burners can go a long way in helping you gradually lose fat and recover your shape.

d. Join other mothers company; going the weight loss with like-minded mothers will help you realize your goals. The other mothers will offer you moral support and you will be able to see what is working for other mothers and you may as well try it out. While in a company of other mothers it may be fun to take up jogging or other work outs that would otherwise be a bit hard for you if you are alone.

e. Rethink of your eating lifestyle; while you were pregnant, there may be foods that you may have eaten and would not affect your weight. However, this kind of mentality may need to be changed. You need to have some guiding rules and know what to include and exclude in your meals. Also, you can try spacing out your meals, consuming whole grains, fruits and vegetables etc.

f. Have a regular exercise schedule; exercise is one of the key elements of getting back in shape. At first, you can start with simple exercises. There is usually a gap in the abdominal muscles and you should make sure that this gap has closed before doing any belly exercises. This gap often closes in a span of 4-8 weeks.

g. Sex is a good remedy; after giving birth, you will only be able to enjoy good sex after you are completely healed. This takes 4-6 weeks and sex is good for strengthening your pelvic floor and the kegel exercises will help greatly with that.

h. Keep a watch on your calories and fats; you need to consume only a small portion of calories. For instance, taking a glass of soda is enough for a day. After that you will only be adding unnecessary fats in your body.

i. The nature itself gives weight loss advantages; once you have delivered, you instantly lose 11-13 lbs. breastfeeding alone enables you to lose weight by using up to 800 calories a day. Also, your baby is enough weight and you can hold the baby to your chest and do lunges.

j. Give your body sometimes to recuperate; you should not go on a diet immediately after birth. You need to give your body sometime to recuperate you should neither rush into things nor relax so much. Your body should restore the normal processes before starting out on any exercises or dieting.

As much as you may not shed the fat as fast as you may need it, by following the above tips will help you lose so much in the long term.