Smallworld Beauty Blog

My mommy always hooked up a mean stuffed pepper filled with tons of beef, white rice and spices.

If you’re watching your carb intake like I am, then here’s a similar tasting recipe that you’ll find just as good. Your man won’t even notice it’s the healthier version.

 Ingredients:

• Sweet peppers
• 1lb ground beef
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 2 large tomatoes
• Low sodium chicken broth
• 1 table spoon minced garlic
• 1 table spoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• Salt n Peppa

Preparation:

• Heat the oven. Start the oven and set it on 350 degrees and get it ready for your concoction.
• Prep the peppers. Cut the tops of your peppers and clean them out. Set them aside so they can be ready to be stuffed.
• Prep the rice: In a pot, pour your can of chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Dump your cup of rice and cook it half way, not all the way because you’ll re cook it in the oven again. Put aside.
• Prep the meat mixture: drizzle your olive oil in the wok or frying pan and saute your garlic and onions. Sprinkle in your Salt n Peppa and stir. When you see the onions and garlic turning brown, dump your chopped mushrooms and tomatoes in and cook a little more. When the tomatoes get a little cooked, top it with your ground beef and stir. Brown the meat a little because once again, we’re going to re cook it in the oven.Mix the half cooked rice on top of the beef mixture and blend it well.
• Stuff the peppers. Scoop your meat mixture and fill your peppers full! Organize them in a baking pan and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake the peppers.  Cook the peppers for 45-60 minutes until peppers are soft and juicy.

Use your oven mitts and pull out the baking pan since it’s going to be very hot and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

The stuffed peppers should be a meal on their own but feel free to serve them with a crisp green salad.

Cooking is so much fun! Enjoy it and watch your lover fall in love with you all over again. Send me a thank you note after you make this.

 Love,

Ghada

Women today seem especially obsessed with scale weight. Many women step on the scale almost once or twice a week or even every day to monitor their fluctuating ounces.

But what a lot of people never take into account when weighing themselves is that there are many factors that play major roles in weight fluctuation.  The scale may tip depending on your water consumption, sodium intake or even the type of workout you did that day.

Unless you have one of those fancy do it all high tech scales, most of them simply measure the flat out weight placed upon it. You can be an advent strength trainer or weight lifter carrying around little to no body fat, but may still appear to be overweight when stepping foot on that scale!

The scale is truthful about your actual weight, but it doesn’t reveal the whole truth about your fitness level, muscle mass and fat index.

You may be feeling extra lean, your clothes are feeling loose and your body is looking more defined than ever, but for some reason you still choose to punish yourself by stepping on that scale everyday.

I’m going to tell you the number one reason why your scale keeps lying to you, and that is because you let it! So cut it out!

It’s finally time to break free of your scale’s stronghold on you, and find other ways of measuring your fitness level and body mass so you can truly watch your progress more accurately.

Instead of jumping on the scale, grab a tape measure and jot down your inches. Inches lost is much more impressive than actual weight loss.

Stand in front of the mirror and perform a jiggle test. Take notice to the definition of your body, new muscle growth and areas of you body that have become leaner and more tone.

According to the scale, you may never drop those 10 lbs you set out lose, but according to that measuring tape you may have dropped 2 clothing sizes!

Do not consider the scale as your friend, but more like a passing acquaintance so it should be treated as such. And anyway do you really want a liar of a scale as your closest friend?

Shaneek, AKA Miss Murder

If you’re a healthy individual who is capable of walking to the kitchen fridge and grabbing snacks to stuff your face with, then I don’t wanna hear any excuses of why you can’t fit in a workout today.

If you do not have a gym membership and haven’t purchased any fitness DVD’s yet, then I have the simplest fat blasting workout that you can do in the comfort of your home.

Your homework this week is to incorporate these 4 butt blasting moves in to your busy day. Crank up some music and get working on that JLO butt!

Start with a 2 minute warm up. I love me some jumping jacks or mountain climbers to pump my heart rate.

1. SQUATS: 3 sets of 15 repetitions

2. LUNGES: 3 sets of 15 repetitions

3. KICK BACKS: 3 sets of 15 repetitions

4. BUTT LIFTS: 3 sets of 15 repetitions

Do this workout every other day, and watch your butt and body transform. For a more intense workout, try incorporating weights and more sets.

Body weight exercises are often the unexpected strength training exercises that most times work the best. By improving your physical conditioning with the use of body weight exercises like the ones shown above,you can not only count on adding strength but also having more energy and vitality as well!

Maximize your results by considering to switch to healthier diet.

Click here to view the Love Your Life Program. A healthy eating program made so easy that you can follow it for life!

Love,

Ghada

They used to call me “Ghada Lotta” butt! I still have some junk in the trunk, but with my butt blasting workouts, I can actually say it’s looking nice and round. Watch out JLO!

There are less than two weeks left until the grand Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving is NOT for giving thanks anymore. It has become this is  festive day filled with family gatherings and gossip, all-you-can-eat foods, holiday inspired desserts, football and lots of beer. It has become a dreadful day for me and my waistline!

Here is my Thanksgiving day itenerary:

On November 27th, my mom is hosting a Middle Eastern inspired  Thanksgiving dinner. Is there such thing? No. But she has created it. Her Dinner revolves around a Basmati rice & chickpeas stuffed Turkey with a side of hummus, pita bread and other traditional dishes. Let’s not forget the Baklava and other pumpkin filled desserts.

Later that day, I am also invited to my boyfriend’s humongous GREEK  Thanksgiving. Here we go again! More turkey, more stuffing, spanikopita and more calories. It’s an insult not to have 2 or three plates in the Mediterranean culture.

I am totally schizzing because there’s not enough space on my calorie calculator to enter everything in. But no worries, because I have a plan! And if you’re serious about your health and fitness goals, you should too.

I’m not saying that you can’t taste everything, but you should plan your day and meal to avoid overeating and gaining those holiday pounds.

So here is the plan that I will be sticking to on Thanksgiving. Feel free to adjust according to your caloric allowance.

FIT AN EXTRA GYM SESSION: Most gyms are open on Thanksgiving day, so why not fit in an extra workout that morning so your mind can be at ease with cheating a little. I have promised myself that I will be there at 5:30 am pumping some iron and doing a little high intensity elliptical training. That’s a 400 calorie buffer in case I somehow overeat, which I won’t. So win win for me.

MAKE IT YOUR CHEAT DAY: I usually make Saturdays my cheat day, but to compensate for Thanksgiving I will choose to be strict on the Saturday before and make the feast day my cheat day. Once again, my cheat day is still well-balanced but may involve having a few bites of dessert.

SHOW UP 1/2 FULL: 1 hour before arriving at my mom’s or boyfriend’s parents home, I will be downing a low calorie, high protein shake. This will help keep my cravings at bay and prevent overeating.

MAKE A PROMISE & KEEP IT: Before arriving, make a promise to yourself about how many calories you will be taking in and what foods you will be avoiding. If you want a little dessert, then skip the corn bread and mashed potatoes. If you want the corn bread, then avoid the pumpkin pie. If you want it all, then take mini bites instead of full servings.

FILL UP ON PROTEIN AND VEGGIES FIRST: I like to fill my plate with White meat Turkey breast (lower in fat and calories), veggies like string beans and broccoli, and a spoonful of yams. If I’m still hungry, then I’ll go back for more veggies.

CHOOSE YOUR DESSERT WISELY: Thanksgiving desserts are undoubtedly amazing especially a warm pumpkin pie! I usually ask my boyfriend to grab one so I can steal a bite. I down it with some coffee and call it a day.

TAKE A PLATE TO GO: I know the feeling of “I have to eat as much as I can because I won’t experience this meal again until next year!”       NOT TRUE. Food will always be there, and so will my hips if I don’t control myself. If you happen to think that way, then ask the host for a plate to go, so you can have more of the goodies later on that night or week.

I hope that my plan will inspire you to behave this Thanksgiving. Remember, right after we have Christmas dinner then “let’s get twisted” New Years! There are more upcoming DANGER ZONES so prioritize your goals and stick to them.

Trust me, you’ll thank me this summer when you look hot in that swim suit.

Love,

Ghada.

Here are 4 signs that you need to increase your weightlifting resistance:

1. You have never increased the weight you are lifting. If you’re still lifting the same amount of weight as when you first started strength training, then you need to add more weight.

2. There is no challenge with the current weight you are lifting. Strength training is meant to be challenging. The point of strength training is to “overload” your muscles so they eventually get stronger. If the weight you are lifting isn’t as challenging as it used to be (or isn’t challenging at all!), then it is time to increase the resistance.

3. It feels like you could go forever. Strength training exercises should cause you to feel muscle “fatigue” within 15 repetitions or less. You have reached muscle fatigue when you feel that you can’t possibly do another repetition in good form. If you can do more than 15 reps in proper form, or if you literally feel like you could go on forever because the resistance  is just too easy, then it’s time to increase the weight!

4. Your progress has come to a halt. If you do not make your muscles work harder than they’re accustomed to, they will not get stronger. As you train, your muscles will grow stronger in order to meet the greater demands that you place on them. So if you keep working with the same workload, your muscles will adjust accordingly and your progress will soon come to a grinding HALT.

If you are experiencing any of the previous 4 signs, then it’s time for you to increase that resistance.

Follow the 3 steps listed below to increase resistance safely and effectively.

1. Increase the resistance by 10%. For example, if you’re currently lifting 50 pounds, then you should  increase your weight by 5 pounds. This should automatically feel more challenging even if it’s not noticeably more difficult at first. I say 10% because it is a pretty safe place to start to avoid injury and so that you progress slowly.

2. With the newly added weight, aim for 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions. With the 10% increase, you’ll be working harder than usual.

3. Once you are able to complete 2-3 sets of 15 reps in good form, whether it takes you a few workouts or a few months, it is then time to go back to Step 1 and repeat the 3 step process again!

Remember the goal in strength training first and foremost, is to fatigue the muscles. Completing the exact number of reps is considered to secondary.

Remember you will have good days and bad days. Sometimes you will feel like the Incredible Hulk, and other days you will only be able to lift as light as a feather! Adjust each workout accordingly and remember to give it your all with every workout so you don’t regret the time well spent!

Shaneek, AKA Miss Murder

Please welcome one of my great friends and fitness fanatic, Miss Jennifer Divine.

I met Miss Divine in New York while attending a business meeting this past year. I noticed her beautiful fitness model-like figure and sweet smile across the convention hall. We finally sparked a conversation and immediately became soul mates! We both shared similar stories of weight loss and fitness fanaticism. Not only was her body sexy and tight, but her personality was abnormally warm and sweet. We took a few breaks together and discussed our passion for health and fitness.

Ever since our first meeting date, we have been such great friends even though we live so far apart.

I recently invited Jennifer to join the Smallworld Beauty Team because I felt that she had so much knowledge and experience that you will find interesting.

Please show some love and welcome the beautiful Miss Divine!

Hi ladies and Gents! I am so excited to be part of Smallworld Beauty and I look forward to supplying you with my weekly input and thoughts. This week, I would like to discuss the following topic:

TO PREVENT BREAKOUTS, BREAK A SWEAT!

We all know exercise does a body good, but what does it do for our skin? The answer, keeps it clear, fresh, and younger looking longer. 

Like a lot of people, I suffer from nasty little breakouts when I’m really stressed. One can tell what kind of week I’ve had by observing the amount of not-so-sexy red intruders on my face. It’s pretty common knowledge that a workout reduces stress, and stress reduction calms the adrenals. That means less hormone output to help control acne. But the acne free benefits don’t stop there.

Acne is caused by dirt, oil, and other toxins clogging the pores. When you sweat your body releases these toxins easily through open pores, cleaning out dirt, oil, and dead skin cells. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize this leads to clear skin! Also, working up a sweat through exercise strengthens your liver and kidneys, which are responsible for removing toxins from the body. Keeping our skin clear from the inside out will help enhance the effectiveness of topical products. Click here for a great Detox kit to help aid with releasing toxins.

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water to keep the sweat flowing. The more toxins you expel, the better! Also, bacteria are attracted to sweat, so don’t procrastinate when it comes to hitting the shower. This may be counterproductive.

Another bonus exercise provides our largest organ is it helps keep the signs of aging at bay. As we get older, our body produces less collagen, the connective tissue that keeps out skin tight. Getting our body in motion optimizes the skins conditions for producing collagen so our faces stay tight, supple, and younger looking longer.

The next time you need motivation getting your lazy bones in gear, take a quick peek at your mug in the mirror and decide if skipping your rendezvous with the treadmill is worth that extra zit or wrinkle.

See you next week!

Miss Divine

If you haven’t watched the movie “Office Space” then you’re missing out on a crazy laugh. 

Here are some hillarious quotes from the movie:

Samir: No! Not  again! Why does it say paper jam when there is no paper jam! I swear to God one of these days I’m just going to kick this piece of shit out of the window.

 Peter Gibbons: So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that’s on the worst day of my life.
Therapist: What about today? Is today the worst day of your life?
Peter Gibbons: Yeah.
Therapist: Wow, that’s messed up!

Sunday evenings are quite stressful for the average American who has to wake up early the next morning to go to a job that has become quite monotonous and oh so boring.

Studies show that most heart attacks occur on Monday mornings.

Knowing this information, it is very important for individuals who dread the weekly routine to mentally and physically prepare themselves to reduce stress levels and make the best of each day.

Here are a few things I do to fight the Monday morning blues:

GOOD SLEEP: My sleep schedule is definitely disrupted during the weekend due to late night activities, sleeping late and sleeping in. By Monday morning, my internal body clock finds it a struggle to get back on track. To reduce the rude awakening of my 5:30 am alarm clock, I try to make it a point to crash out early Sunday night to give my body adequate rest and sleep.

PLAN YOUR WEEK: Planning my week always adds excitement to my Monday morning. I love planning my meals, activities and workouts. It really makes my week fly by. Monday night is  always dedicated to one of my favorite shows, True Blood. Tuesday is work on my business site, Wednesday may include Salsa hip shaking moves, Thursday is Chef Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares and a great home cooked meal. Friday night is usually my unwind night unless there’s a great band or party to attend. My week truly does fly by!

GET ACTIVE: There is no perfect time to work out as long as you get in during your day. I prefer to rev up my metabolism every morning to get me energized and ready for my work day. Working out early also generates EPOC (Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption) that burns more calories soon after your gym session. Even though it’s not that many burned after, but overtime they sure add up.

EAT YOUR BREAKFAST AND SIP A CUP OF JOE: Proper nutrition is essential for many aspects of physical and mental health. I truly love breakfast! I look forward to my pumpkin, protein & oatmeal concoction every morning after my intense workout.  When arriving at work, I grab myself a fresh cup of coffee from the kitchen and pump my system with a little caffeine to boost the start of my day. 

TAKE MINI BREAKS: Instead of taking 30 minutes to an hour of lunch, split up 15 minutes here and there. Since my eating plan requires 5-6 mini meals, I like to split up my lunch break in to three 15 minute breaks. One mini break is dedicated to lunch, the other for a snack and the last for a brisk walk around the premise to catch some sun.

So instead of dreading MANIC MONDAYS, shift your thinking to positve and action pack your week to counteract the dullness.

If you have other suggestions on how to beat the Monday Blues, please do share!

 Love,

Ghada

Before you get grossed out, just hear me out.

This concoction was inspired through my love of  Red bean ice cream!

Since my clean eating doesn’t permit me to indulge in this amazing dessert everyday, I had to come up with something close to it.

My taste buds were more than pleased! It tasted delicious!

No worries. You will not taste the Red Kidney beans or the spinach. They will simply add texture and nutrition to your power smoothie.

This is a great meal replacement or post workout recovery smoothie, so drink up!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop of Chocolate or Vanilla protein powder
• 1 cup of mixed berries
• 1/2 cup of Red Kidney Beans
• 1 Tablespoon of Shredded coconut
• 1 Tablespoon of Honey or Sweetener
• 1 Handful of Spinach

Preparation:

Get your blender out. Pour a little bit of water on the bottom to avoid clumping of protein. Dump all ingredients in, throw in some ice and blend away!

Feel free to add other nutritional ingredients to the mix. I love adding some flaxseeds, hemp seeds or even some Glutamine powder to boost my muscle recovery after a tough workout.

I can’t wait for you to give it a try! I look forward to your comments!

My younger brother Yousef always says.. “You seem to like anything that tastes like s#@!”

Ha ha.. sometimes, that holds true, but I promise you that this recipe is Yummy!

Love, Ghada

If you have made the gym part of your weekly routine and dedicated your lifestyle to strength training, cardio and aerobics activities, then you my friend can be called a self –professed Gym Rat.

But, if you have dedicated and made strength training, protein shakes, eating clean, and high intensity training an essential part of your lifestyle amongst the Big Boy’s gym, then you can officially consider yourself a Gym Bitch!

Before joining my local Big Boy’s gym, I was using my work’s smaller and more private fitness center. Everyone knew who I was, what my day-to-day routines were and what machines I occupied at certain times. Everyone knew to steer clear of Miss Murder.

When I decided to join the Big Boy’s gym, my presence was not as known. This gym was 10 times bigger with tons more people then the 3 regulars I was used to. I was scared to death and felt too uncomfortable to approach the free weight section where all the big boys were.

For the first few days, I stayed to myself trying not to get in anyone’s way all the while just feeling out the free weight area crowd. I finally got noticed by one of the trainers but I still tried to avoid conversation. I didn’t talk to anyone, wore big clothes and covered my face with a hat. I did this for the first few weeks until I slowly eased into my regular routing.

After a few weeks, I felt that it was finally time to mark my territory and prove myself worthy as a regular. Most important mission was to become a Big Girl and claim my spot in the free weight area where the Big Boys played! 

With each passing week, I slowly eased myself more and more into the mix and routine of all the regulars. Weaving in and out, learning the schedules so I was not in anyone’s way if I could avoid it, and working my way into a coveted reserved spot each morning.

I have proven myself to be as or more dedicated to my strength training  as the big boys who owned that area of the gym . I officially have a spot each morning right next to the Big Boys and everyone now knows when it’s Miss Murder time, so make room!

Yes, I am a Gym Bitch and my body shows.

Shaneek AKA Miss Murder

Energy Vampires can be defined as individuals that have the ability to feed and suck the energy out of you. These individuals can cause mental and physical havoc to your life and mood if you don’t know how to recognize and handle them.

You may be an Energy Vampire and you don’t even know it. Here are a few signs:

If you are almost always a ”drama queen”, always harping on all the negative aspects of your life, depressed most of the time, self-consumed, complain a lot, blame others and constantly feel victimized, then you are an Energy Vampire.

How does one transform in to an Energy Vampire?

Energy Vampires are created through environment and time. They may have had a rough upbringing, or experienced a traumatic event during their childhood or life that has lead them to become this way. They may have experienced betrayal and abandonment by a loved one, causing a feeling of constant paranoia and mistrust in everyone around them.

Even though these toxic individuals may not deliberately try to bring you down, they definitely have the ability to feed of your energy and suck the life out of you. 

How do you know when you are in the presence of an Energy Vampire?

After spending time with an Energy Vampire, you will notice a dramatic shift in your mood. You may experience depression, sluggishness or even overeating to compensate for the loss of energy.

Here are some suggestions on how to detoxify your life from Energy Vampires:

The most important step is to recognize who these individuals are. They may be your family, friends, co-workers or even lover.

It is your responsibility to understand that you are not a savior and you will fail in attempting to shift their vicious negativity. It is their responsibility to fix their problems.

Limit your time, energy and conversations with Energy Vampires. If you do have to spend time with them, learn to ignore or cut the conversation short.

Be honest with them, and explain that their presence is very toxic to your mood and that you prefer to spend more time discussing positive issues. They may take it personal and become very upset but on the other hand, your honesty may help them recognize their actions and take steps towards improving on their negative thoughts and mood.

Life is too short to spend it around toxic life-sucking Energy Vampires, so take control of your life by creating boundaries, and make it as peaceful and uplifting as possible.

Love Life,

Ghada

Oh by the way, I love HBO’s True Blood! If you haven’t seen the show, check out Bill, Sukee, Stackhouse and Tara who all showcase gorgeous hard bodies! Delicious!