Are your cottage cheese thighs stopping you from loving yourself? Well, I hope that after this post I can make you love every dimple and work with your body to help reduce the appearance.

Cellulite is such a big topic among the ladies. Did you know that 90% of post-adolescent women will develop cellulite sometime in their life? That’s a huge percentage, so stop being so hard on yourself.

Fat is trapped in the subcutaneous fat layers and causes a dimpled orange peel look. Oh yeah.. that’s hot! There a many factors that can contribute to the formation of cellulite on your sexy butt, thighs and abs. Some of the factors are genetics, hormones, alcohol, drugs, excess caffeine, diet pills and laxatives, unhealthy foods and lack of exercise.

I definitely suffer from cellulite around the front and back of my thighs and on my nice tush. I am also guilty of indulging in most of the factors mentioned above. In previous posts, I discussed my childhood eating habits and how it was filled with processed cereals, fries and more junk. Genetics were also against me since puberty. As for my hormones, I had to get on the pill to get them in check, and diet pills were definitely consumed when I was depressed about my weight.

So is there a cure for cellulite?

During the beginning stages of my weight loss journey, I was so impatient to get my body together. I popped ephedra pills (extremely potent herb that should be taken with care), worked out twice a day and invested in cellulite creams and procedures. I’m sure you’re wondering if it worked.

The answer is not really. With the diet pills, I noticed a spike in energy but not a significant weight loss. The creams hydrated and plumped my skin, giving me temporary reduction in appearance. I also signed up for a few Acoustic Wave Therapy treatments which involved a pounding stick that was meant to break up the fat in my butt and thighs to eventually reduce the appearance of cellulite. It might have helped a tiny bit, but I knew that I had to dig deeper.

Don’t get discouraged, because I eventually did end up revealing something that worked better than all of the above! Nutrition and Exercise.

I am by no means a doctor or expert in cellulite elimination, but I will give you my personal testimony. I found that adopting a nutritious packed diet, staying hydrated and exercising, dramatically reduced the appearance.

I eliminated processed junk food and filled my fridge with fibrous veggies, fiber-filled fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and lots of water. I learned how to maximize my workouts by exercising smart, through combining cardio and resistance training. My body became and still is my art project and I am determined to keep sculpting it.

Think about it. Cellulite is trapped fat, so the less fat and more lean muscle you have, then the less dimples will be visible on the skin. I am still open to the idea of applying creams that will give me temporary smoothness until I reach my goal. When choosing a cellulite/ firming cream, I look for the active ingredients caffeine and Aminophylline (a brochodilator that causes a chemical reaction that enables fat cells to change to fatty acids, allowing them to slide through cell walls and into the blood stream).

It took time for my dimples to form, so it’s only fair that I give my body some more time to rid of its appearance. It’s easy to fall into the hype of a cellulite products but ask yourself this.. If there was a true cure for cellulite and obesity, wouldn’t everyone be smooth and thin?

I recently heard a few great words from a husband to his wife “If you women stopped worrying about your thighs, you could rule the world”

Right on brother! So stop counting those dimples and get to work.

Love your body and it will love you back

I started taking Bentonite clay a few years back because I suffered from stomach problems that lead to irregularity and constant stomach upset from just about everything I ate!

I stopped eating meat for years and my diet consisted of mostly vegetables and whole grains, but even that did not ease my stomach issues.

In a mission to aid my stomach issues, I agreed to try a fast and take a chance on a beneficial clay that I read about; Bentonite clay. It was so effective that I have been taking it ever since.

Not only does Bentonite clay help keep me regular, but it also detoxifies my system on a regular basis by riding it of the harmful herbicides and pesticides I consume each day in foods. And although I watch my diet religiously, I can’t attest to what companies are using when it comes to growing and harvesting vegetables as well as what a cow is fed before it is butchered.

Now, I know the idea of ingesting clay to aid in promoting internal  healing will undoubtedly seem farfetched, and even a little primitive. But natural clay, especially the form known as “Bentonite clay”, has not only been used for hundreds of years medicinally by indigenous cultures, but it has also in recent years increasingly been used by practitioners of alternative medicine as a simple but effective internal cleanser to help in preventing and alleviating various health problems. Clay is one of the most effective natural intestinal detoxifying agents available to us and has been used for hundreds of years by native tribes around the globe.

The Benefits of taking Bentonite clay orally:

• When Bentonite clay is absorbed in water it swells and stretches open like a highly porous sponge. The toxins in your system are drawn into these spaces through an electrical type attraction and bound.
• When Bentonite clay is taken internally it assists the intestinal systems elimination of toxins.
• Bentonite clay has been reported to be able to absorb pathogenic viruses, as well as herbicides and pesticides.
• Then when the Bentonite clay is eventually eliminated from your body the toxins that are bound to its surfaces are eliminated with it as well.
• Taking Bentonite clay internally should become part of your regular colon cleansing regimen because it is an intestinal cleanser and also a gastrointestinal regulator.
• Bentonite clay helps your body to more efficiently assimilate the nutrients you need each day.

Bentonite is relatively inexpensive and readily available in most health  food stores,vitamin shops and online stores. Here’s the best deal that I have found: Click here.

So if you are looking to detox your system on a regular basis without spending tons of money on all the gimmicky products that claim to do great things but have no scientific backup, then give Bentonite a try!

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

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!

One of my worst discomforts in life is constipation! (Guys, if you are reading this. please stay out. this is lady territory right now!)

Even though my diet is full of fibrous fruits and veggies, I still seem to get constipated during my travels. It’s almost as if my body knows when it’s far from home.

No exaggeration, but one time I was backed up for over 3 days!

The feeling of being bloated and knowing that my last few meals are hanging out and having a party in my stomach is not cute!

(I’m actually bloated and constipated in the picture to the left. That’s how I smile when I am feeling uncomfortable)

About a year or so ago, I attended a Health & Beauty convention in Las Vegas and came across a cure for my backed up pipes.

As I walked the convention floors, I noticed a radiant woman behind an inviting counter. I approached her and introduced myself. I was curious to who she was. It was almost as if her energy reeled me in.

Her name was Lake Louise Ziwa! Oooo what a powerful sounding name! A graduate from Stanford University, Lake had partnered up with Dr. Gloria Gilbere to create DetoxRx: natural products that included a vast line of skin care to wonderful immune boosting supplements.

We went through the typical exchange of words. “how are you today? How’s the show? Bla bla bla.”

For some reason, I couldn’t help but blurt out.

“I’m so constipated Lake!”  I felt comfortable with her that I didn’t care. My mom hates when I discuss “dirty” topics. Supposedly, it’s not lady like.

Anyway, back to my problem.

So Lake answers “Girl! I know what you mean. I’m gonna give you a few pills tonight to try and you let me know how you feel tomorrow”.

I was up for anything! Drano? Great! Just kidding.

Like clockwork, my bowels started rumbling the next morning. Oh oh.. I think its time. Wow, Like Tony the Tiger.. I felt GREAT!!!! There was no cramping, no irritation just pure relief.

I was so happy that I actually sent Lake a text message thanking her while I sat there. I couldn’t wait to see her again so I can purchase some and ask her more about this product!

Later that afternoon, I made my way back to Lake’s booth to get the details on the magic pills. The magic pills were a combination of two DetoxRx formulas: ColonSweep®. & EliminAid®.

ColonSweep® is Five synergistically balanced blends for intestinal detoxification. The blend contains botanicals, essential oils, enzymes, probiotics, fiber and alkalizing minerals that help cleanse and detoxify your body. Suggested use is 3-5 tablets in the evening.

EliminAid® is a natural herbal softener that should be taken along with the ColonSweep® to push the bulk out.  Unlike other laxatives that contain Senna, this formula is cramp free and non habit-forming.

If you suffer from constipation or just looking to do a little body detox, I highly suggest you call Lake! Tell her Ghada referred you.

Click here to learn more: www.detoxrx.com

I swear I’m not making any commission of this referral, I just want you to feel the relief that I felt!

Ok lovely Smallworld Beauties! I would love to hear your thoughts if you decide to give it a try!

Traveling is a very spiritual experience for me. Not only do I get to meet new people, but I am continuously being exposed to new cultures, religions and lifestyles. Throughout my journey, I have come to the realization that I love all humanity’s differences. I love the different art, music, dance and food. Every religion brings something beautiful to the table and I am more than happy to participate in all the holidays of the world.

I am currently on business in Orlando, Florida and I had an urge to share my finding with you. I am working with two other people on this trip and they are both from Argentina, a South American country that I hope to set foot in soon. Joe and Norma, two fire crackers that exude the Latin flavor have exposed me to more information than I asked for, but I love it.

Similar to my Middle Eastern heritage, the Latin culture loves to indulge in food. After a long day of work, the three of us always head to a well-reviewed restaurant to experience new cuisine. Whole in the wall eateries are preferred because we love home-made recipes.

Joe loves to eat! After every meal, he complains about why he ate so much and mentions that he has to go back to his room to drink his “tea”.

“What is this tea?” I asked.

Joe rubs his belly and smiles “ah, it’s this amazing tea that we drink in Argentina. Yerba Mate; it’s so good for you! I’ll bring you some next time”.

Keeping his word, Joe surprised me with my first Yerba Mate kit. The kit came with 500g bag of this special tea, a weird coconut looking cup and a funky straw.

Hmmm… I had to ask “What do I need this crazy cup for Joe? Can’t I just brew it like tea?”

He laughed and grabbed the crazy cup to show me “This is a special cup. Let me show you”. He breaks open my Yerba Mate bag and pours the tea-looking flakes in to the cup while the straw remains put. He explains that I should fill it half way up. The funky straw has a strainer device on the bottom to prevent any flakes from flying into my mouth. Yeah, I don’t want that. Using the coffee machine in his hotel room, we brewed some water to pour in to the cup. Joe warns not to use boiling water, just hot.

So he pours the water in the cup, takes a taste to check the temperature of the water then passes it over for me to taste. He also warns that it will not taste comforting like other teas.  Ok! Trusting my friend, I took my first sip of the South American Yerba Mate.

“What the $#@! Joe! This tastes horrible!”. The tea tasted so bitter and smokey. Hmmm… almost like bacon.

But that didn’t stop me from finishing the cup. I stuck it out and just kept thinking about the benefits of this tea that I knew nothing about. I thanked Joe, and went back to my room to do some research on Yerba Mate.

What I learned and found about this tea, showed to be very impressive:

Yerba Mate comes from a wild plant grown in the forests of South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Paraguay. This loose tea has been clinically tested to have more nutritional benefits than Green Tea.

Yerba Mate’s benefits include:

• Amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
• A natural energy booster without toxic side effects
• A great detox and cleanse for the blood
• Helps with balancing the nervous system
• Promotes healthy shiny hair
• Combats free radicals to slow down aging
• Suppresses the appetite
• Relieves stress
• Aids in sleep

After researching Yerba Mate, I have decided to give this nasty tea a shot.  I’m sure it will take more than a day to notice the benefits, so I’ll comply to drinking it for 30 days. I’ll keep you posted.

I can say that I had the best sleep ever last night. I was knocked out and woke up refreshed and ready to workout. But, it’s just the first day so I won’t jump to conclusions already.

If you’re Yerba Mate drinker, I would love to hear your story and why you continue to drink it.

Love,

Ghada