ASFSA - Health, Food & Happiness Blog

Why You Need to Use a Body Exfoliator

September 30, 2018

Body Exfoliator

Body exfoliation is something that can be beneficial for anyone with any skin type. While traditionally, such body care products as a body exfoliator was for removing dry and dead skin, it can do so much more. What’s more, you don’t even need to have dry skin to reap the rewards. If you’re not yet convinced of the benefits of a body exfoliator product, then read on. You will be more than surprised.

Removes Dry Skin

Of course, the first and most well-known benefit from a body exfoliator – be it a natural body care product or a synthetic one, is that it can remove dry skin. Every day, your toned body needs to shed a lot of skin, and exfoliation products can help to speed up the process.

Unclogs Your Pores

Do you find yourself with whiteheads and blackheads more often than not? Then try an exfoliating body product. When you exfoliate your skin, you’re getting rid of dead skin as well as surface debris that builds up during the day. By doing so, you’re unclogging your pores and stopping the formation of whiteheads and blackheads. If you don’t unclog your pores, they build up with all manner of dirt and skin, causing oil production under the skin and the resultant pimples.

Reduces Acne

By using a natural body care product such as a skin exfoliator, you can reap the rewards of reduced acne or a reduced risk of getting it in the first place. While exfoliators help to unclog your pores and reduce blackheads and whiteheads, it can also help to prevent acne. You can use a skin exfoliator once or twice a week to clean out your pores and reduce your acne risk.

5 Ways Improving Your Dental Health Can Improve Your Overall Wellbeing

August 11, 2018

Dental Health

It is a well known fact that your oral and dental health is linked to your general well-being. It is therefore very important to make sure that you visit your dentist regularly to make sure that your teeth and gums remain in great condition.

However, with this in mind, you may be wondering exactly what sort of benefits a healthy mouth can have with respect to your general health and wellbeing. Luckily for you, we have put together a list of our top five ways that improving your dental health can improve your overall wellbeing. These include:

Healthy Saliva Will Keep Your Gut Healthy

Your saliva is your bodies first defence against harmful bacteria and viruses within your body. Disease causing organisms can easily enter your mouth, and from there they are able to move down into the heart or lungs – if they aren’t stopped first. Saliva contains antibodies which can destroy pathogenic organisms, including those that cause things like the common cold or HIV infections.

An Unhealthy Mouth Can Cause Digestive Infections

Everything which goes through your mouth eventually ends up in your stomach and digestive system. If you have infections in your teeth, gums or elsewhere in your mouth, they can spread to your stomach and the rest of your digestive system, causing all sorts of problems.

How to Measure and Select Engagement Rings

July 23, 2018

Engagement Rings

When you are beginning to go down the exciting path of choosing engagement rings, you will find it’s not smooth sailing like choosing cake. While the journey to selecting the best engagement ring is rewarding, it can be fraught with challenges.

According to Diamonds and Pearls, you need to work out what size ring finger you both have, figure out how to measure your fingers and rings, and ensure that at any time of the day, your ring is going to fit perfectly. It’s not as straightforward as you may think, but it’s a worthwhile process to ensure the perfect fit. Here is how to go about it.

What You Will Need:

Dental floss, fine string, or a long strand of cotton
A pen
An accurate and clear millimetre ruler
Access to a ring chart

How to Measure Your Engagement Rings:

Grabbing the string, wrap it around the base of your finger.
Mark the ending point on the string with the pen – the place where each piece of the string joins each other.
Lay the string out flat with the pen mark visible.
Measure the end of the string up to the pen mark to the nearest millimetre.
Compare your results to a ring chart.

NOTE: Make sure you choose the ring size that compares to your ring’s country of origin. Each country has different size options, such as Japan, Great Britain, Germany, the United States, Canada, and France.

The Dos and Don’ts of a Waist Trainer

May 12, 2018

Waist Trainer

If you’re new to the world of waist training, getting a firm grasp on what you should and shouldn’t do can take some time. Whether you’ve already purchased a waist trainer or you’re looking to do so, we’ve included some helpful ‘dos and don’ts’ to help make your experience that much more beneficial.

Do:

Buy Quality

There are several different waist trainers on the market, but not all are high-quality or provide the best results. Always shop from a well-known stockist with plenty of customer reviews and pay close attention to the material quality. Latex waist trainers are a preferred option for those looking to flatten their stomach and accentuate curves. Even if you have to pay a little more, it’s worth it when you get the results you desire.

Choose the Right Size

If you buy from a reputable seller, they will have a size guide so that you can choose the size that best suits your body shape and size. Always select the size that matches your measurements as you should remember they are designed to be tight. If you choose a size smaller, you risk it being too tight and if you go a size larger, it will not have the same benefits.

Peer Pressure and Drug Abuse: How to Deal with It?

February 18, 2018

Drug Abuse

We are social beings, and it is in our nature to fit in with the rest of society. This innate nature of being sociable might be advantageous because it gives us more opportunities to acquire knowledge and increase our network.

That is, however, if you use it properly.

What if you lost your way and you mixed with a group of people who didn’t seem to care about what’s right or wrong? Would you let yourself be influenced by them? Most probably yes. In fact, statistics state that 55% of teenagers use drugs because of peer pressure and this is another reason for the growth and importance of drug rehab centres.

However, that’s not the only reason why the number of drug incidents are increasing. There are also other factors that cause this serious issue — lack of guidance from family and personal problems being the two biggest reasons.

Spend time with the right people.

Surround yourself with the right people. Before making close friends with someone, make sure that you know who they are, where they’re from, and what kind of friends they have. Stay away from them if you think they’re into drugs or other vices.

How to Easily Get Five Serves of Fruit and Vegetables a Day

August 15, 2017

5-a-day

The latest food recommendation is to have 5 serves of fruit and vegetables a day. This may seem difficult for some people, especially those who don’t like vegetables, or just prefer to eat other things. Fresh fruit and vegetables are not only healthy, they actively fight off certain diseases such as cancer, so it’s a good idea to make sure you include them in your diet.

Here are a few easy ways to get the vegetable and fruit you need each and every day.

Juice them – there are many great recipes for smoothies on the internet. You can combine fruit and vegetables to give you a refreshing drink packed full of vitamins and other essential, health giving nutrients. Try combinations of apples, carrots, oranges, celery and spinach. Add berries, beetroot or broccoli. Use the type of juicer that doesn’t waste the fibre, but includes it in the juice.
Add them to breakfast. Fruit, especially is great with cereal. Try slicing a banana over oatmeal or cold cereal or add berries, peach slices or any other fruit you like.
Have fruit and/or vegetables for snacks. Keep prepared carrot and celery sticks in the refrigerator so they are handy to grab. Add an apple, banana or other fruit you like.
Banana sandwiches are a delightful end to a light meal. But they have to be prepared and eaten quickly, or the banana goes brown.
Having tinned fruit salad? Add some fresh fruit to it, to make it taste especially good. Diced apple, sliced bananas, fresh mandarin segments, berries, and sliced peaches are all great choices. Better still, make your own fresh fruit salad.

Grandparents Rights after Divorce

August 1, 2017

Grandparents Rights

One major casualty after divorce is the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren. Most grandparents are passionate about their grandchildren and being deprived of any rights to see them is very hurtful and painful to both them and their grandchildren. Happily, Robinson Family Lawyers will tell you that you have rights to see your grandchildren after their parents’ divorce.

Divorce is never an easy time and it is difficult not to take sides when you are close to the situation. Sometimes, parents of each spouse are very opinionated about the relationship and don’t hesitate to make their views known. It is this as much as anything that can make the custodial parent want to eliminate any visiting rights for the grandparents. But in doing so they harm their children, who often need that extra love and understanding once they have to live without a parent they love.

If the grandparents are from a different culture, depriving the children of enjoying interaction with them can deprive them of important aspects of their heritage. Even if they are from the same culture, grandparents do now have certain rights with regards to seeing their beloved grandchildren.

4 Tips to Get the Best Out of Your Food

July 15, 2017

Best-out-of-Meals

While we all know the importance of a healthy diet, it is sometimes easy to forget that even the healthiest of foods can be spoiled by poor cooking, the addition of other less healthy accompaniments and even by the way we eat. Here are some tips to ensure you get all the nutrients possible from your healthy diet.

Cooking – never overcook vegetables. They should be lightly steamed or sautéed to ensure all the nutrients remain in them. Boiling them reduces the nutrients most of which are tipped down the sink along with the water. Juicing vegetables is a good way to ensure a healthy addition to your diet, especially if there are some goodies you don’t actually like. Mixed in with other vegetables you’ll never notice the taste. Eating them raw is also a good way to keep all the nutrients from being spoiled by heat. However, not everyone can eat veggies raw and light cooking does make the nutrients more easily available in some cases.
Less healthy additions – these can be added by the way you cook, e.g. frying vegetables or meat means they absorb some of the fat. Even frying in olive oil is not as good as steaming. Even though olive oil is a ‘good’ fat, heating changes it to some extent, although not as much as heating other kinds of vegetable oils.

The Best Place to Meditate

June 26, 2017

Place to Meditate

Meditation is a good way to relax, reduce stress levels, stay healthy restore your sanity, especially if life is treating you poorly or you have a very demanding job. In fact, it’s good to do even if you stay home all day coping with toddlers; every parent who does knows exactly how demanding that job can be. Just because it comes with copious amounts of love doesn’t mean it’s not often difficult, especially during teething when you are up half the night.

Where to do it

Everyone should give meditation a try; most will find it helps them to relax at least a little bit. Done properly it can have wider benefits. However, you do need a place to do it that is free from distractions and is comfortable. If you are uncomfortable it will intrude into your inner consciousness and prevent you from meditating properly.

If you can’t find the right place to meditate, create one! This can be as easy as placing a comfortable chair out on the deck where the fresh air and sunshine will help you feel at peace with the world. You can sit there whenever you’ve a spare moment or three and simply relax, or get into other meditation techniques.

Benefits of an outdoor haven

Another place to meditate in is an outdoor haven you create for yourself with plenty of alfresco furniture such as a chaise, chairs, tables and whatever else you feel is needed. Maybe some shade cloth or a decorative garden wall to protect you from the prevailing breeze. Having dedicated outdoor furniture by Drovers Inside and Out will ensure the place is ready when you are and you won’t have to cart heavy chairs outside and back in.

Food and Exercises To Keep Your Eyes Healthy

March 6, 2017

healthy-eyes

There are many jobs that can cause eyestrain, especially those in the area of computers. If you work as an SEO expert you’ll be focussed on that computer screen for 8 hours a day or more, which can be a big strain on your eyes. Since we all depend on our eyes a great deal, it is essential to keep them healthy and there are several ways to do this.

Food to keep your eyes healthy

One way is to have a healthy diet, but there are certain foods that are better for eye health than others, so make sure you include them in your diet every day.

Foods that are orange in colour contain beta-carotene, a nutrient that is especially good for eyesight. Carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin are easy additions to your evening meals.

Pros and Cons of Dieting

January 22, 2017

Dieting

There have never been so many different diets around and yet we know that many people suffer from being overweight. If the media is to be believed the western world is suffering from the worst plague of all eating disorders – obesity. Most people – women at least – have tried dieting at some time in their lives. Sometimes they achieve their goal to lose weight; sometimes they don’t. The main trouble is the weight usually goes back on once the diet is no longer followed.

This must tell us that what people have for their ‘normal’ food is not good for them, causing excessive weight gain that is bad for their health. And yet, even this is not the whole story. In some cases we have the kind of jobs that don’t allow us to have enough exercise to burn off those calories, but still make us too tired to do any kind of exercise after work is done for the day. Or in some cases we are too busy doing other essentials like housework and supervising children to hit the gym or go jogging.

This is where dieting comes in. Once that weight starts to become more noticeable we look around for ways to reduce it. But is dieting really the answer? Here are some pros and cons of dieting.

Pros

It does in some cases help to get unhealthy weight off.
It gives us a feeling of control because we are doing something to make us healthier.
We learn more about healthy nutrition as we research which diet to go on.
We become more aware of what we eat.

How to Get the Best Cake

January 17, 2017

best-cake

Do you spend your days wondering what cake you’ll buy next, or dreaming of the delicious morsels of cake you had last time you were at Gran’s place? It is not easy to get good cake with just the right amount of moisture – and the flavour that you could die for.

Making a cake is a skill that not many people have, but it’s not impossible, so don’t despair. It is all the fault of the education system that took basic cooking out of high schools and replaced it with the science of cooking, a much more complicated subject in which students rarely did any cooking. When they did it was some amazingly exotic food that looked wonderful and tasted disgusting.

What to do After You Kick Drugs

December 10, 2016

After-You-Kick-Drugs

So you’ve been to drug rehab and successfully kicked the habit. Now you are home again and you may be feeling a bit let down. After all, home is nothing like that wonderful place you just came back from where everyone treated you so nicely. At home you have to deal with people who may be cranky, drunk or just uncaring. Or even if they love you, maybe they just have too many issues to deal with to show you some of that TLC you crave.

If your life looks like it’s going to be a hard drag again, it’s important to do certain things to deal with it, or you risk falling once again into the habit you just got free from. Here are some tips to help you.

If home is difficult to deal with move out, as scary as it may seem.
If you can’t move out, concentrate on making new friends who are caring, but not part of the drug scene. You can do this by joining a club – painting, photography, cooking, dancing – whatever your interests are.
Go out regularly. Nurture your new friends by suggesting you meet for a coffee, a walk in the park or a movie night, whatever seems good to you.
Eat good food. Many people live on fast food and miss out on the basic nutrition their body needs to remain healthy. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables give you energy without piling on the weight.
If you love fast food, you don’t have to miss it altogether, just limit it to once a week or fortnight.

Golden Rules for Healthy and Beautiful Hair

December 5, 2016

Everyone woman wants beautiful hair, but often the promises in those TV ads for shampoo and conditioner just don’t make good. If you tend to have lots of bad hair days, here are some beauty tips for healthy hair that may improve the look and feel of it and reduce those bad hair days when you feel like tearing it out and wearing a wig instead.

One good rule is to stop washing your hair every day. This only encourages your scalp to produce ever more oils to prevent damage to the hair and so you feel like washing it even more. Stop this cycle by reducing your shampoos to no more than twice a week.
Use only top quality shampoo and conditioners without any toxic ingredients, or make your own at home.
If your hair is coloured or permed, don’t wash it too often as this will dry it out.
If your hair seems to be getting more and more dry, changing the shampoo and conditioner often helps. This is because shampoos especially are not all created equal. Some work on a specific type of oil and others work in some other way, so change products occasionally.
Use leave in conditioners and other products to nourish your hair.
Have your hair professionally styled and cut often.

21 Tips to Stay Healthy in the Heat

November 20, 2016

Healthy-in-Heat

Not every country suffers from intense heat and so tourists visiting Australia may not realise that the kind of heat they are likely to encounter in outback areas or during heatwaves during summer can actually kill. This summer has been one of the hottest experienced for several years so it is likely to catch people unawares. Some of the things we do to cool off in summer are no longer safe when the temperature climbs to 36 or 40C.

Here are 21 tips to keep you healthy in the hot weather.

Stay out of the sun. Even wearing sunscreen and a hat won’t protect you from the heat that is reflected from pavement.
If you have to work outside, don’t wear shorts as your legs will burn. Wear cotton pants and long sleeves.
Don’t wear synthetic fabrics in the heat, they will make you sweat and lose more fluid.
Keep in air conditioning if possible. Spend the day in the mall or library if you don’t have it at home.
Stay away from the beach. The water may cool you but you’ll get sunburned on all those portions that are not under the water – including your head.
Never sit on the sand, even if you are covered up and under an umbrella. The sand reflects heat and you can get burned or suffer from dehydration.

7 Tips for Budget Friendly Meals

October 21, 2016

Budget-Friendly-Meals

Just think how much you would be able to save if you didn’t have to eat. Sometimes it seems as if you are spending money on food every time you turn around. Unfortunately, there is no real alternative; if you want to live you must eat. That said, there are several ways to save money when buying food, so if you want to give your budget and lift, try some of the following tips.

Get organised – planning your weekly meals ahead of time will enable you to know exactly what you need, rather than buying food on impulse that could well go bad before you can use it up. Even if you don’t want to be quite that organised, just in case you planned a roast dinner for midweek and the temperatures soar to the mid forties so no one feels like eating it, let alone cooking it, you can have some alternatives in the pantry. Or you could check the temperatures ahead of time so you don’t plan a hot meal for a hot day.
Shop around to get the best bargains. That said, if your supermarket options are along way apart, what you spend on fuel could well negate the savings on specials. However, farmers’ markets are often a great place to shop for fresh fruit and vegetables. Go early for the freshest, especially in hot weather if it is held outside. Shopping late in the day or close to shut up shop time at supermarkets can get you some great bargains.

Beauty Tips For Hands and Nails

October 15, 2016

Hands-and-Nails

Many people pay attention to their faces, but neglect their hands and nails. This is a shame because hands show your age just as much as your face – in fact, even more so because they work harder, doing all that you have to do from day to day, while your face basically sits there and oversees the chores. If you don’t lavish some care and attention on your hands and nails they will tell on you – and spoil the beauty of your face for anyone observant enough to notice.

If you have a job where your hands are in the public eye all the time, it is essential to take care of them and make sure they are as attractive as your face. Here’s how:

Wash hands with warm water, paying attention to between the fingers and under the nails. Dry by blotting rather than rubbing as this can abrade the skin.
Use gloves when washing up and moisturise your hands daily or more often if they feel dry.
Use organic products on your hands and avoid those with toxic ingredients. A good way to make your hands feel smooth and soft is to mix wheat powder with milk, water and lemon juice. Leave on for 10 or more minutes and wash off with warm water. Glycerine and rose water is a good moisturiser.
Exfoliate your hands occasionally using 2 tablespoons of butter mixed with 1 of sugar. Rub over the skin until the sugar granules dissolve. Rinse off with warm water and pat dry.
If the back of your hands has uneven pigmentation, rub them with a cut lemon to even out the colour.

Old Fashioned Food Favourites Still a Hit

August 8, 2016

lemon-butter-slice

While not many young people make cakes or slices from a basic recipe any more, often they are so quick and simple that it’s no more trouble to cook them than it is to make up a packet cake, especially when there are only five ingredients. If you decide to throw together a homemade slice your family are sure to come back for seconds, but that’s okay; home cooking is much healthier than anything processed and packet cakes come under that heading.

Besides, making your own cakes is fun and satisfying, knowing you’ve created food from scratch that is much healthier than any processed food and tastes better as well. Many recipes found in magazines these days seem to be complicated and have ingredients that have to be searched for and bought especially. But when the ingredients can almost always be found in the pantry it all becomes a lot simpler. All you really need is a set of measuring scales so the quantities will be right.

12 Top Tips for Applying Make-up

April 19, 2016

Applying-Make-up

Nearly every woman who wants to improve her looks uses make-up of some kind. Some might just add a touch of lipstick while others go the whole hog and apply layers of make-up to ensure they have that wow factor. No matter how you use make-up there are many beauty tips available to help you get the most out of it. Here are 12 top tips for applying make-up.

Don’t use concealer or foundation on your eyelids as it is too thick and will become creased.
Sometimes a sheer foundation coverage is better than a thick one. Achieve this by applying it with the fingertips and leave the brush until you want a medium or thick coverage.
Apply powder to shiny areas of the face first. This is usually the T-zone – the forehead and fridge of the nose or the nose and chin area. Once that is done, a very light dusting can be added to the rest of your face.
If using bronzer, don’t just use it on your face, as this will give a two-tone effect. It should also go on the neck and chest, if that part is showing.

10 Reasons to go to the Dentist

March 17, 2016

Dentist

According to the gurus at Joondalup City Dental, most people don’t like the idea of going to the dentist because they equate it with pain, or at the very least, discomfort. Another reason could be that they can’t afford it, or prefer to spend their time and money on something more pleasant. However, if you neglect this important area of your health you will certainly pay for it in terms of discomfort later on. Here are 10 reasons you should make dental check-ups a regular part of your routine.

You’ll suffer less if you have a tiny decay seen to quickly, than if you wait until it is a really big one that aches badly. The treatment will be easier to undergo and the cost will be less when the decay is only small.
The dentist can correct problems that are not decays, making your teeth a lot stronger so they’ll last longer. For instance, getting teeth straightened will prevent them breaking off as you get older due to pressure they weren’t meant to withstand.
Your health will be better if your teeth are not decayed.
You won’t have to get false teeth with their discomfort.
The dentist will not have to perform extractions if your teeth are healthy. He can often do small corrections that prevent you getting decay, such as filling a deep crevice in a molar that is not yet decayed, but is likely to be soon.

Warning Signs of a Heart Attack

February 22, 2016

Heart-Attack

No one wants to have a heart attack, but many people do since it is the number one killer in many countries. One reason for this is obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. But even stress can cause a heart attack. Whether you are a business person running a busy digital marketing business or a hard working carpet cleaner like Brilliance Carpet Cleaning Perth, when you have a heart attack it is essential to have treatment as soon as possible to lessen the damage done to the heart. The troubles is that not everyone recognises they are having a heart attack because of the symptoms they get. It is not always pain in the heart or chest area that heralds such an attack.

Here are some of the signs of a heart attack. If they last for 10 minutes, you should dial 000.

Pain in the lower jaw – on either side – that extends into the chest.
Pain or discomfort in the neck, with a burning or choking feeling in the throat. It may actually originate in the chest and move to the neck.
Pain, heaviness or pressure in the shoulders that moves to the chest. One or both shoulders can be affected.
Pain, heaviness or tightness in the centre of the chest. Generally a stabbing, sharp pain in the chest is not indicative of a heart attack. It is more like a crushing weight.
A dull ache between the shoulder blades that spread from the chest
Pain, heaviness, discomfort, tingling or uselessness in one or both arms, often originating from the chest.

Secondary warning signs that often also accompany the above can be nausea, cold sweats, dizziness and shortness of breath.

Don’t Let Drugs Ruin Your Life

January 22, 2016

drug-addiction

When you first begin to take drugs it is usually as a way to cope with something in your life that is causing emotional pain; something that you don’t know how to handle. The drugs take away the pain and make you feel good for a little while. It might be some time before you realise there is a serious problem and what your friends or parents have been telling you for some time is really true; you are suffering from drug addiction.

This is the time to make some major decisions, before it is really too late. It is time to book into a drug rehab to get off those drugs and get your life back. That doesn’t have to mean you have to suffer from the emotional pain that caused you to take drugs in the first place. If you can get to the right facility for drug rehabilitation your treatment will include counselling to find out what it was you were trying to get relief from and you’ll be taught how to deal with it in a different way; one that doesn’t give you an addiction.

To that end, your parents or other loved ones may have to undergo counselling with you. That’s good, because it will teach them how to change their ways and stop doing or saying those things that hurt you. Your parents love you, but sometimes they don’t know how to cope with certain behaviours. And sometimes they too, were hurt by their parents in the same way.

Important Points about Breast Implants

November 19, 2015

Breast-Implants

Many women turn to breast implants when they become dissatisfied with the size, shape or symmetry of their breasts. It is a good idea to be fully informed about everything to do with this surgical procedure before going ahead with the operation. To that end, here are some important points you should be aware of.

There are 3 possibilities when considering entry points for the implant. Under the armpit, under the breast or via the nipple. Much depends on the particular problem you are looking to overcome with the implant. Nipple insertion is only suitable for small implants. The once popular method of underarm insertion has now waned in favour of under the breast. The scar of the latter is hardly seen, while with the former it is easier to tear the sternum muscle and that can lead to other problems.
The polyurethane implant has now become very popular in the UK and Australia due to its many benefits including preventing hardening of the implant. However, much depends on the size and floppiness of the breast, as well as what problem is being treated.
It is essential for professionals to fully evaluate each patient before a breast implant is agreed to. This will be both physical and psychological.
Emotional stress is also a factor. If the patient is undergoing emotional stress, it is wise to postpone treatment for 6 months.

How to Reduce Your Pain Pills

October 9, 2015

It is a well-known fact that laughing triggers release of endorphins – feel good chemicals that help to relieve pain, hence reduces need for pain pills. Some people go without laughter in their life, especially if they have a serious personality. But you can help your friends all have fun and laugh by adding a photo booth to your party or wedding reception.

With the addition of this great piece of technology you and your friends will find many ways to dress up and take funny photos and you are sure to end up in fits of laughter while doing it. Not only will you all have a great deal of fun, you will learn that laughing makes you feel really good inside. Those chemicals called endorphins that have been released through laughing will also take away a great deal of pain and so alleviate the need for taking so many pain pills.

If anyone is in pain on a daily basis due to things like injury or arthritis, then making sure they get plenty of laughter will help them to reduce the amount of pills they have to take for the pain. The trouble is, when you are in pain you don’t feel like laughing. It is important then to do things that help you forget that pain and make you feel happy enough to laugh. You could –

Watch funny movies or sitcoms on television
Read funny stories
Learn and tell funny jokes
Remember funny things that have happened in your life
Get your friends to tell about the funny things that have happened to them

6 Ways to Find a Good Dentist

May 17, 2015

Good Dentist

According to the dentists at Candlewood Dental Centre, most people really need a dentist at some point in their life, especially if they have never gone to one, or not gone regularly. There will come a time when that aching tooth simply won’t respond to pain-killers and you are losing sleep over it, so you finally take the plunge to see a dentist. So how do you choose? Here are 5 ways to make your search a bit easier.

Ask family or friends – those who have a nice smile – who they recommend and why.
Go online and ask Google. Pay close attention to the websites to see what testimonials are there, what the pricing is and whether they allow you to pay it off. Find out how many people work there. A clinic usually employs several dentists while a practice may only have one or two.
See if there are any customer reviews on places such as Facebook.
Ring them to find out what their customer service is like. If the receptionist is cranky give them a miss. It’s bad enough having a tooth out without having to put up with people who can’t treat you with respect.
Go for a consultation to see for yourself in person. Most dentists are caring people who want to help you and create a good impression. The success of their practice depends on it.
That said, don’t be pressured into having work done that you don’t want or can’t afford. If you have any doubts about what is said, get a second opinion.

8 Family Friendly Holiday Destinations

January 15, 2015

8 Family Friendly Holiday Destinations While many families choose the holiday destination with the beaches and safe, shallow water that all kids seem to adore, it can be an even more interesting experience to travel with them to other countries where they can see some amazing sights that will surely interest them just as much. After all, they can usually swim a lot at home too, but they won’t see some of the other amazing things that are on offer overseas.

Here are 8 holiday destinations that are certainly family friendly, though not all offer beaches.

Although this small country is not the cheapest, it offers things not found anywhere else, at least, not to the same extent. For instance, Legoland with its 20 million pieces of building blocks that have been used to portray some of the Star Wars action as well as major iconic sights of other countries. It also has rides suited more to the pre-teen. Then there is Tivoli, an amusement park with free music, fireworks and more almost every night.
Thailand loves children, making their stay there very special. You can easily find beaches, temples, boat trips and elephant camps, all of which your kids are sure to love.

How to Choose Wine as a Gift

October 15, 2014

Choose-Wine

If you’ve been invited out for dinner at someone’s place, it is good manners to take a gift and people often choose wine. But what if you don’t know the wine preferences of your host or hostess? It is easy enough to buy wine, but it is a little more difficult to choose one you can be relatively sure that your hosts will like.

Don’t be tempted by a pretty label

One thing you should not do is buy it just because the label is attractive. This is a hit or miss way to choose a wine and in fact, some of the prettiest labels hide wines that are very ordinary at best and quite horrible at worst. This is because the label is made by a marketing specialist in order to attract buyers.

Wines with an established reputation tend to have quite plain labels that simply tell the buyer what they need to know; they don’t need to rely on marketing with an attractive label to sell to people who don’t know their wines.

Don’t pay more than you need to

You may think that the best way to ensure your wine is acceptable is to pay a great deal for it. This is not necessary; many very nice, quality wines are quite inexpensive.

One way to find a wine that is popular when you don’t know a lot about them is to ask the sales attendant which wines they sell the most of. These will be the most popular wine and are sure to be acceptable to most people.

Natural Remedies for Arthritis

June 10, 2014

Arthritis

Arthritis is a condition that affects many people. It may have eventuated from your choice of career. For instance people that have worked all their lives in jobs like furniture removalists such as Brilliance Removalists Melbourne or a tough job such as carpet steam cleaners done by Brilliance Cleaning where their bodies have been subjected to heavy physical loads are particularly susceptible. One big problem with treatment is that there are many different forms of arthritis and not all respond to the same treatment. Another problem is that the drugs – whether they are prescription or over the counter – have side effects that can be sometimes worse than the disease.

Most drugs are anti-inflammatories or painkillers – or sometimes both in one. Long-term use can cause problems such as digestive problems, ulcers, stroke and more. Even if they just make you drowsy, going around in a daze is not living life to the fullest. You may not be able to drive or go out because you tend to lose your balance and are afraid of falling. So what can you do?

There are many natural remedies for arthritis. Trying out these different remedies gives you a feeling of control over your life and your body that can even make you feel better. This is known as the placebo effect. That said, sometimes the remedies work well and it is far better to take them than the drugs that can have those awful side effects. The remedies may be herbs, spices, essential oils or even fruit and/or vegetables. Some people change their diet and get a great deal of relief.

5 Ways to Cut Cooking Time in Half

May 15, 2014

Cooking-Time

If you are a working mum and your other half doesn’t do any cooking, you might find yourself getting into the habit of buying convenience foods to cut down on your workload, especially in the hot weather when no one wants to be slaving over a hot stove. However, even though kids love junk food, it is really bad for their health and yours too, so how can you get healthy meals without spending every night cooking?

It is easy to cut your cooking time in half with a little organisation.

For a start, having salads means you don’t have to cook at all, unless you love to make your own potato salad from scratch. That’s okay; it’s easy to cube the potatoes and shove them in the microwave, then throw some mayonnaise over them. It hardly counts as cooking. Besides, you don’t actually have to have potato salad.
You can alternate a cooked meal with a salad; that’s one option. There is another one though. Cook twice as much and have the leftovers the next night. These can be either the same meal or made up into another kind of meal. For instance, if you have three cupfuls of cooked, diced vegetables left over, you can beat some eggs, add the veggies and make vegetable fritters to go with some salad. Even though you still have to cook the fritters, it is not as much effort as cooking meat and vegetables for a full meal.

10 Tips for Growing Out a Fringe – Without Going Nuts

February 22, 2014

Growing-Out-a-Fringe

The only thing wrong with having a hairstyle that includes bangs or a fringe is growing that fringe out when you decide on a change. At first it’s not too bad, but once it gets down to eye level it tends to drive you nuts. Hair dangling in your eyes not only irritates them – and you – it makes you look messy. So how can you grow out that fringe without it driving you insane? Here are 10 tips to help.

Part your hair to one side, comb it forward, then flick it to the opposite side of your parting, merging the longer and shorter hair.
If your hair is naturally fine, try getting a perm on large rollers to give it more body, then that fine fringe will be more likely to stay where you put it.
Use dry shampoo to give your hair body so the fringe stays out of your eyes.
Using accessories to keep an overlong fringe off your forehead can work well. A scarf folded into a wide headband and tied under the hair at the back suits many people. Wide or narrow elastic headbands come in many colours.
Attractive clips or pins can keep the shorter hair to one side.

8 Wedding Tips for the Groom

December 25, 2013

wedding-tips-for-the-groom

Wedding tips for the bride are available by the thousands, but for the groom? Not so much. This is a major problem, because many grooms-to-be, do next to nothing to support and help their fiancée with things like bridesmaid gifts and wedding arrangements etc. So grooms, don’t be a wimp, but get in there and have a say about the wedding hire arrangements and other things to do with the wedding. Your fiancée will be relieved to know you can shoulder your share of the responsibilities.

Here are some tips to help the groom before the wedding.

Choose a few things that interest you and take responsibility for arranging them – in consultation with your wife to be, of course. The wedding DJ, sound system, music, food are all good for guys to handle.
Expect to have a say in your future home as well as the wedding. Your wife may love an all-pink bedroom, but it’s time for each of you to meet halfway on that if you hate it.
The bride seems to do most of the wedding planning and this can lead to stress, overload and even a grudge against you for letting her. So make sure you do nice things such as cooking her a meal and cleaning up afterwards, letting her choose her favourite movie – or renting one you know she’ll love to watch and watching it with her. You could even give her a foot massage. Let her know that all the planning and work is really worthwhile.

Pros and Cons of Renting a Car on Holidays

November 30, 2013

Whether you are holidaying at home or abroad, you may be considering renting a car if you are flying to your destination. It is true that having a car will give you a good amount in independence to travel where you like, however there are both pros and cons to car rental that you should consider before making any arrangements.

Pros

As mentioned, you will have more independence from public transport and the time limitations it offers when you can travel in your rental car.
Some areas you might want to visit may not be serviced by public transport, or the times could be inconvenient.
It would probably work out cheaper than taxis but more expensive than public transport.
It is convenient to stow your luggage and you can take extra if you don’t have to carry it by hand.
You can stop at any place that looks interesting, or stop for a rest or a snack whenever you want.
You can change your mind at the last minute about going somewhere.
You don’t have to book seats or tickets.
If you travel with a group of friends there will be plenty of drivers

How to Stay Safe from Food Poisoning

June 8, 2013

Food-Poisoning

In the rush to get a meal on the table or prepare food for a family party, it is easy to become careless or just not think about food safety issues. Food poisoning is not only unpleasant; it can also be life-threatening, especially in hot weather when dehydration can occur very quickly. Here are some tips to avoiding food poisoning.

Always make sure you purchase fresh food. If you purchase food on a sale, look at the use by date and make sure you will use it before then, especially meat.
If it is going to take you longer than a few minutes to get food home, store it in an esky bag with ice bricks under and on top of it.
If meat doesn’t still feel cool when you get home, cook it immediately and use it up quickly.
When preparing meat and vegetables, keep them separate. This means using different chopping boards and utensils. Or you could prepare the vegetables first, then use the same things to prepare the meat.
Never use utensils or plates that were used in the preparation of meat for handling it after it is cooked. This can transfer particles of raw meat or the juices from it onto the cooked meat.

15 Tips on How to Stay Safe with Heating

May 9, 2013

Stay Safe with Heating

Every winter we hear of home burning down and people getting burned or worse due to a fire in their home – which is often caused through leaving a heater on. Experienced electricians such as Electrician Perth Experts can provide good advice over the media each time the weather turns colder, yet somehow people don’t take enough notice of it, or they fall asleep before they have time to turn their heater off.

The trouble is that nighttime and early morning are the coldest parts of the winter so that is when heaters are set to high and left on. Here are some tips on staying healthy and warm without being at risk of having the house burn down.

Choose a safe type of heater – one that has a thermostat is good, as are the kind that won’t roll over.
Teach children safety procedures with heaters, such as not covering the top or leaving paper close to them, as well as not sitting too close to them.
Never leave a plug-in heater going overnight. If you feel sleepy, snuggle into a rug and turn the heater off.
Always keep heaters away from drapes, clothes and sofas that could catch on fire.
If you have carpet, keep the heater off long pile that may get too close to elements.
Toddlers can do anything without realising the harm, so if you have a floor heater in the bathroom, make sure the cord from it is not long enough to allow it to reach the bathtub if picked up and thrown.

Simple Ways to Use Up Fruit and Vegetables

April 15, 2013

Fruit-and-Vegetables

Fruit is a very healthy food that everyone should eat more of. However, children are known for their finicky tastes and what they ate all last week they may refuse the next week. This can leave you with fruit that is in danger of becoming overripe. Rather than waste it, here are some easy ways to use it up.

Some fruit such as apples and stone fruit can be stewed and frozen. It will then be ready to make pies with, whenever you have time or feel like it.
Oranges and other citrus fruit can be juiced and frozen into drinks or popsicles for the children to enjoy on a hot day.
If you intend to keep frozen fruit juice or mash, you need to add sugar as a preservative.
Tomatoes sometimes get ripe quickly. They can be grilled on toast, added to soups or stews – or many other dishes. You can make them into tomato relish or even tomato jam.
Bananas can be used up by cooking them into banana bread or muffins. They can also be baked and used as dessert.
Juicing fruit and vegetables is a good way to use them up quickly, so long as you like the taste of the drink.
If your vegetables are starting to go limp, make up a soup or stew with them. You can usually put more in than the recipe says.
Fruit can be diced and made into a fruit salad for dessert. If you only have one or two pieces, they can be added to tinned fruit salad for extra taste.
Apples can be baked whole.

The Downsides of Working From Home – and How to Address Them

March 12, 2013

Working-From-Home

If you work from home you are very likely to be using your computer a great deal. You could be an business consultant, or perhaps you’re a writer. Working from home has a great many benefits, not least being that you can save on renting an office and travelling and also be there for your family. In fact, having some kind of home business is ideal for many people.

However, if you work from home you may have realised there are downsides too. These must be addressed in order to make your business as well as your life, successful. Here are some of them.

It is very easy to put in longer hours at a home business because you don’t need to leave the office at the end of the day. Working can become addictive to the point you neglect your relationships even though you live and work in the same home as your family. You may just want to finish that website or do a little more research into keywords and the next thing you know the children are all in bed and so is your spouse. You need to make a cut-off point for work and stick to it.

How To Cope With Backache From Sitting In An Office Chair All Day

January 12, 2013

Backache

If you have to sit in an office chair for long hours at a time you may be a web designer. If you are not to get a backache, it’s important to ensure your chair is a good fit for you. Even ergonomic chairs will not prevent a backache if they are not of the right dimensions for you. Tall people need a chair that is larger than one a short person would find comfortable.

Often, even though the chair fits and the desk is the right height, people who sit for many hours a day can still end up with a backache. This can be due to any number of factors. In fact, if the computer monitor is not directly in front of you, a neck and backache can develop from the angle of your neck and head. Even though you may only need to turn slightly, when you have to hold that position for a long time, it can put a strain on your neck and spine.

If you have a backache at the end of the day – or before – try these few healthy living tips to alleviate it.

Place a cushion at your lower back for more support
Get up more frequently, stretch and walk about
Sit on a cushion with a coccyx cut-out at the back to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve
Try and keep your back straight rather than slumping
Use a chair with padded armrests to ease shoulder and upper back pain
Stretch your arms above your head at random times throughout the day
Move your head gently from side to side every so often
Inscribe circles with your shoulders to ease stiffness in the upper back
Make sure your feet are firmly on the floor and the top half of your legs are horizontal, not sloping either up or down.
If nothing else works, try a different kind of chair

Why Getting Into Drug Rehab Quickly is Essential

December 24, 2012

drug-rehab

When someone you know and love is in need of drug rehab it’s essential to get them into it as quickly as possible. The longer it is left, the more damage it causes – and if they are left for too long without treatment it sometimes becomes impossible to help them. As sad as it is, it’s better to face the likelihood of a worst case scenario than to procrastinate, because the simple fact is that untreated drug addiction can kill. And before that happens the addict’s life will be totally wrecked as they seek the only thing that seems to work for them; more drugs.

Overseas rehab centres in Bali and Thailand have become popular due to the much lower cost than that available in Australia, but when thinking in terms of quick help, Bali is by far the quickest and easiest to get to. With only one plane trip to take, the addict can usually manage to get to their destination without becoming distracted by the need for another fix.

Besides which, many people don’t have the finances to provide for a month or more at a drug rehabilitation centre that does not offer affordable costs. While it is essential to get treatment that works, affordability is a fact of life that must be taken into consideration. If you need to take out a loan, an affordable amount is much easier to pay back and more likely to be given in the first place, enabling you to get the best treatment for your loved one.

How to Get Toned Body without Exercise

August 22, 2012

CoolSculpting

As many people ingest more and more sugar in their daily foods, there are always new ways of looking after your body being invented, just as new diets are coming onto the market on a regular basis. Diets simply don’t work for everyone and neither does exercise. Even though it may help you to stay fit and healthy, it often does nothing for your actual body shape. That is why CoolSculpting is becoming so popular.

It fills a need in the market that up till now could only be filled by one other procedure and that is liposuction. The trouble with that is you will have needles stuck into your fatty deposits so the fat can be sucked out through them. This can be quite painful and the area takes a while to heal, as you can imagine. Still, it does the trick of removing those fatty deposits that nothing else seems to shift.

Now there is another option for those who don’t like needles. It is called CoolSculpting because it uses a similar process to cryolipolysis – that is, cooling – to freeze and destroy fat under the skin. This doesn’t harm the skin at all, just numbs it and there might be some bruising, but that will soon fade. Once the fat is frozen it is destroyed and the body goes to work to remove it through the usual channels, just like it removes bruised blood or other things that aren’t part of the body any more.

Remove Health Worries with Help from a Financial Planner

March 25, 2012

financial-advisor

Few people know what their future holds with regard to their health. As we age especially, health problems seem to pop up more frequently and this can be a worry. But with help from a financial planner like Andep, you can take a lot of the worry out of the health concerns in your future. The right financial planning will ensure that your family can be taken care of should you not be around to do it.

A good financial advisor will lead you through the steps needed to ensure you not only have a Will, but you’ve given Power of Attorney to someone you trust to handle your affairs and administer your estate properly. They will help you plan for the possibility of health problems that can prevent you from making business or any other decisions. Of course, a lawyer can do this too, but they don’t give financial advice; just legal advice.

The Importance of Childcare after Divorce

March 1, 2012

Childcare-after-Divorce According well know family law firm Robertson Hayles, if your relationship has broken down irretrievably and you’ve applied for divorce, family lawyers will no doubt have told you what the law is concerning your children. While it is easy to get a divorce these days with no one having to prove fault, if there are minor children of the marriage, a divorce won’t be given unless you can prove that proper arrangements have been made for their care.

While you may think this seems silly, in these days of much drug-taking it cannot be certain that either parent is fit to take care of children, especially while they are toddlers. At least older children can get a meal for themselves, but of course, childcare is much more than looking after a child’s physical needs. So the judge has to make sure that one of the parents is a suitable carer, or that other satisfactory arrangements have been made for the children.

How to Treat Your Home Business Professionally

October 12, 2011

Home-Business

Many people set up a business at home both for convenience and cost-savings. You can easily convert a spare room into an office or workroom for your business, but just because you are running it from home doesn’t mean it should not be professional and that can include having a website. If you want your business website to stand out and be successful, use a digital agency to design, create and advertise it, just like any other professional business would.

The mistake many people make with their home business is to put too much emphasis on the ‘home’ part. Just because you run your business from home doesn’t mean you should sit there in your PJs, not open for business on time, or go surfing whenever you feel like it. Nor does it mean you should allow your website to be anything but professional. No other business or prospective customers will take you or your business seriously unless you do.

How to Add Value to Your Property

August 14, 2011

limestone-blocks

Homeowners and landlords would agree that one good way to add value to a property is with landscaping. If that landscaping also includes the use of beautiful limestone blocks for pavers and stone cladding on feature walls then the value is assured. It can also be used for ornamental and functional garden walls, retaining walls along with outdoor seating and tables.

Using it for garden furniture means you never have to worry about bringing it inside due to bad weather conditions, be that rain, wind, hail or snow. Stone can stand up to those kinds of conditions just as it does when in its natural environment. You might think that seating would be too uncomfortable on a stone bench, but so is any kind of seating without cushions.

The only thing you can do is add some outdoor cushions to the bench. This will also add a pop of colour, enhancing your outdoor setting all the more. While these may have to be brought in due to wind, most outdoor cushions will stand up to a bit of weather.

5 Shampoo Ingredients That Are Bad For Your Hair – and You

February 15, 2011

Shampoo-hair

When you pick up a shampoo from the supermarket shelf, it is usually because you expect it to do good things for your hair, whether that is to moisturise it, make it shiny, more manageable and of course, clean it. Shampoo is made up of many different ingredients – the trouble is that most people don’t fully understand what those ingredients do, whether they are safe and why they are put into the shampoo to start with.

If you are having trouble with your hair, or if your scalp feels itchy or irritable, it could be some of the ingredients in your shampoo that are at fault. Here are 5 shampoo ingredients to avoid.

Silicone – this is put into some shampoo to make the hair shinier. The only trouble is it is not water soluble so it builds up over time, especially around the shaft of the hair. This causes the hair to feel greasy and weighed down, especially if it is fine hair. The sulphate in shampoo is put in to help dissolve the silicone, but that ingredient is best avoided.
Sulphate – you’ll see this as sodium lauryl sulphate or laureth sulphates. They are used to create that nice, frothy lather that everyone likes. However, they do more than that. These are one of the most irritating compounds anyone could put on their skin and they are very drying as well. Worse still, they are a proven carcinogen that is absorbed easily into the skin and the bloodstream. And people wonder why cancer is such an epidemic these days.

5 Elements of Fitness You Can Do at Home

February 2, 2011

fitness-at-home

Most people have some idea that they should workout to keep fit both physically and mentally. The trouble is, life is hectic for most people, especially mothers who work outside the home and don’t get much support from their husbands. Now we are not talking about hard working people such as furniture removalists like Brilliance Removalists Perth or tradesmen, who mostly get plenty of exercise in their day to day jobs – but another reason people don’t exercise is they think it’s necessary to attend a gym and they either can’t afford it, or there is none available close where they live. However, you don’t have to go to the gym to get fit. You can easily do these 5 elements of fitness at home and be much healthier for it.

Always start with a warm up so there is no injury to your muscles or ligaments. An easy way to warm up is to go for a walk. If you simply can’t go outside, getting a treadmill or a stationary bike will really help. Walking up and down the stairs is good too. 10 minutes is a good time for warming up.
Once you have warmed up, it’s time to do a cardiovascular workout. How? It’s easy; just walk or pedal faster, go jogging, do some aerobics with a video to guide you or skip rope, whichever sounds like the most fun. Make sure it gets your heart rate up. Try and to it for 30 minutes each time.

Who can Have Botox Injections?

November 21, 2010

botox-injections

While cosmetic procedures such as Botox injections has been traditionally something that only women are interested in, the trend is certainly swinging to include people of both genders. Men are now looking to have their wrinkles removed with Botox, especially if they have a job that puts them into the public eye to any extent.

Just as you see certain males sporting hair styles that include additional colour, the younger men – and sometimes older ones – now realise that looking their best must sometimes include injections of Botox to remove the lines and wrinkles that occur with age – or sometimes with their lifestyle choices or simply their genes. Men who are on television or high up in the sporting world, singers and actors and other high profile people want to show their best face to the camera.

They don’t have to suffer looking older before their time if they get Botox treatment. But it is not only their looks that can be treated with this procedure. Men are known to sweat a lot more than women. Anyone who sweats excessively, such as drenching their shirt with sweat several times a day, can get relief from this unpleasant condition with Botox treatment. If you have a job where you have to deal with the public such as salesman or even serving coffee, being drenched in sweat is a real turn off for other people. Having it treated means you will always look fresh and have much less BO. (more…)

The Qualities You Need in Your Handyman

July 22, 2010

handyman

According to JCA Services when you need repairs done to your property it is time to look for a home services helper or property Maintenance Company who offers the kind of services you need. Unfortunately, not all handymen are equal and some don’t do as good a job as others. This may be because they accept a job that is actually beyond their skill set to complete.

Instead of not taking the job, they try to do it and end up making things worse than ever. When you finally work out the problem and find another handyman to help you the job is likely to cost twice as much for them to fix. So what qualities do you need in your handyman?

First of all you need honesty about what they can do and what they can’t do. Honesty with the quote is also a bonus. That said, a cheap price may well get you a cheap job.
You need someone with a high work ethic so that the job they do will be done well.
It is also good if they are clean and tidy and clean all the mess up before they go. Many jobs are quite messy and you don’t really want to have to vacuum up sawdust or clean grout or paint off the floor after they have gone.
You need a handyman that is highly motivated and communicative so that they will get to your job as soon as they can and let you know if there is an unavoidable delay.

How a Photo Booth Can Help You Relax

May 9, 2010

Photo Booth

It is important when organising a wedding to not get too caught up in everything that must be done to the extent of having no time to relax. If every spare minute of the day is spent on wedding preparations, you’ll soon start to feel too tired to do anything and this is not a good or healthy state to be in. Because Photo Booths can be connected to wedding packages it can reduce time spent on organising the details of the wedding, so giving you more time to relax, which is good for your health.

Not everyone is good at organisation, and working out all the important details of a wedding and reception can be hard work, especially if you are working at a full-time job as well. It’s important to have help so you don’t feel like you are responsible for every single thing. In fact, it’s a good idea to get your fiancée’s help in a lot of the organisation.

At the very least, he should be able to organise –

The wedding cars
The suit rentals/purchases
The venue
The DJ
He should also have a say in the catering

Health, Sustainability

Which are the Most Sustainable Air Conditioners?

February 21, 2010

Sustainable-Air-Conditioner

The inverter air conditioner is one of the most sustainable air conditioning units available because inverter technology is eco friendly technology and reduces the running costs by around 30%. It is the ability to vary the speed of the unit that lowers the consumption of electricity. According to air conditioning experts Holdens Electrical, the inverter models stay on all the time and simply vary the running speed once the selected temperature is maintained. This means they not only use less power, but are much quieter too.

By comparison, a non-inverter air con simply runs at the same start up speed all the time, switching on and off constantly to maintain the temperature. It is the constant starting up that gobbles up power and creates noise. If you are using an older model air con, it may not be an inverter type.

Another way the inverter air cons are eco friendly is in the type of refrigerant used. This is R410a refrigerant, containing HFC, as against the R22 refrigerant that contains HCFC, a chlorine component known to destroy the ozone layer. However, some installers will still use R22 due to its lower cost, so it’s a good idea to check before your air conditioner is installed, and ask for the R410a refrigerant.

The disadvantage of choosing an air con with inverter technology is in the initial cost, but since they do save so much when running and are so quiet during their operation, it is certainly worthwhile paying the extra price. Remember, the lesser cost is due to decreased consumption, which translates to increased sustainability.

8 Tips to Make Your Pot Plants Look Stunning

January 16, 2010

garden-pots

Almost everyone likes the look of a garden, even if they don’t like working in one. Many people with no garden fulfil their need for green and living things by having pot plants. The trouble is, not all of these look really stunning. Some look downright shabby while others seem to be struggling for life. So how can you make that show of garden pots and plants look better? Here are some tips.

When you look at a pot plant, what do you see? The pot and the plant, right? That means the pot is at least half of what you see so if it is shabby the whole together will be spoiled, no matter how nice the plant is. So before you plant out your pretty azalea or whatever it is, make sure the pot is worthy of it. Spending money on a designer pot is an investment in beauty that will last for many years.
Choose a plant to suit the pot. Not all plants are suited for life in a pot. Their root systems are too big and need to expand. It’s hot in a pot, so plants that prefer cool roots won’t be happy. Some pretty pots are also pretty small. Choosing a big plant – or one that will grow big – for a small pot will almost guarantee failure.

More Relaxation = Robotic Pool Cleaners

April 28, 2009

automatic-pool-cleaner

Nearly everyone who has a pool knows that an automatic kreepy krauly is essential if they don’t want to spend half their leisure time in cleaning the pool. Pool cleaning is a big job and takes a lot of muscle if you do it manually. Not everyone can manage it physically, and most people prefer to enjoy their leisure time rather than using it to clean the pool, especially if they don’t use it all that much.

While automated pool cleaners will do a lot of the work, you still have to do some of it. Even lifting the cleaner into the pool is sometimes very difficult. You have to hook it all up and make sure it is working properly. A robotic cleaner takes a great deal less work. Here are the pros of having a robot to clean your pool.

They do an even better job of cleaning the pool than automatic cleaners do
They require less input and attention from you
They work independently of the pool’s filtration system
They offer value for money, saving on the cost of chemicals, water and power
They clean the sides, bottom and steps of the pool with no dramas
They clean corners

How To Choose A Swimming Pool

November 23, 2008

Swimming Pools

If you are looking for pool builders to install a concrete swimming pool it pays to do a little research to find the best one. Having a pool installed in not something you want to cut costs with because repairs can be really expensive – and wasting all that water will probably make you shudder. But first, why choose a concrete pool?

Concrete is a very durable and strong substance that will last for many years without leaking.
You can choose many more sizes and shapes for your pool that may fit on your block better than a stock shape from fibreglass.
It is possible to have many more features added to the pool when it’s made of concrete.

To find the best company to install the pool you have to look at what you need and what the company will do for you. Having a pool means a big change in the landscaping. If you had minimal work done in this regard it may be time to have it done properly. You’ll be amazed at the difference a bit of professional landscaping makes to the look – and value – of your property.

Need maintenance?

Some pool companies offer landscaping plus maintenance, which is a good thing. You will hardly have time to enjoy the pool if you are busy every weekend maintaining the garden and lawn, not to mention the pool itself. Get more time to relax by outsourcing these chores to the pool company. They have the expertise to do a great job.