How to stay healthy, trim and happy this summer.

1. Drink lots of water - 
1 cup (250ml) per mass of 10kg should be sufficient intake per day. Water also fills you up, especially in between meals.

2. Exercise -
Walking is the best form of exercise. You will not strain your muscles while enjoying the calm and serenity of nature and your environment. This will take your mind of your exercise and you will have time to think and meditate. Take a brisk walk every morning or evening for about 20min.
If you are taking fat burning supplements or any other weight loss products, exercising is vital.....

3. Change your eating pattern -
Instead of eating 3 big meals per day, try and distribute your portions throughout the day.
You should be having 5 - 6 portions per day.
Morning:
It's always good to have a glass of water when you wake up.
Eat a good, healthy breakfast. This should keep you going until mid morning.
Pre mid-morning:
Have a glass of water. This should fill you until your next snack.
Mid-morning:
 Have your beverage with a light snack. This should just keep you going until your lunch break.
I would suggest one or two provitas or any other light biscuit or snacker bread, with your favorite topping.
Pre lunch time:
Have a glass of water. This should fill you until your next meal.
Lunch time:
Normally a lunch break is at about 1pm. Try eating a healthy meal that includes veggies. Have a wrap. It's healthy and delicious.
Don't over eat or else you will feel bloated, tired, irritated and have a lack of concentration.
Pre mid-afternoon:
have a glass of water. This should fill you until your next snack.
Mid afternoon:
This is your afternoon 'tea break'. Have a fruit or two with a glass of water.
Late afternoon:
Have your coffee with a biscuit and don't forget your water.
Dinner:
This should be your last meal for the day.  Try eating before 8pm. Keep it light and small.
Salads are good. Roasted veggies are delicious.
Meats and other bulky foodstuff are just too heavy to eat in the evening. If you love your meat then have small portions. A little starch won't hurt, but include your veggies.
Have a glass of water instead of fizzy drinks...
Pre bed time:
I always like to have a cup of tea before retiring to bed.
These are good tea options - chamomile, ginger, jasmine, green or just squeeze a lemon or grapefruit and add some mint leaves.
Keep a glass of water next to your bed just in case you need to drink during the night.

Get an intake of proteins and fibers. This you can get in fruit and veggies. Remember that the more colorful your meal is, the healthier you are eating. Don't over cook your veggies. Rather fry them in a little olive oil for under 7 min until cooked but still crunchy.

4 Get enough sleep:

A good mattress and pillow is very important to get a good night's sleep. If your back or neck is sore, you will not be able to sleep properly and as a result, wake up moody and not have energy for your daily routine.

5 The power of laughter:

Be happy and laugh. Life is too short to be miserable. Laughter is a way of staying young and also good exercise for your face and tummy muscles. Laugh as much as you can.

Summer 2013 - 2014

We tend to get very confused with color trends in South Africa, as we are a season behind other countries.
That should not let you stop wearing what you want and most important, what suits you.

This might not be accurate according to our seasonal stats, but  to my knowledge, our summers in South Africa, start  mid Oct./ Nov. through to April.

So, with that said, I think of lots and lots of color ranging from luminous to very pale and of course the neutral black and white, which is always a winner when you just can't match your colors accordingly.

As for textures, I see heavy to very sheer fabrics including leather and metallic.
Embellishments such as beading, zippers, feathers, lace cut outs and many more are to be seen this season.

So, how would I pair all these together.

Try and incorporate matte textures into your  metallic, patent, high shine or sequins look. There should be a balance.....

Here are a few examples:

If your dress is metallic - wear shoes, bag and maybe a jacket that has a flat finish (matte)
A matte / flat dress - pair it off with metallic bag, sandals and accessories.
A high shine fabric skirt with a chiffon top could be worn with metallic shoes....

Knickerbockers

Knickerbockers are a form of men's baggy-kneed trousers. Before WW II, skiers often wore knickerbockers too, usually ankle-length.
Until after World War I, in many anglophone countries, boys customarily wore short pants in summer and knickerbockers or "knickers" (or "knee pants") in winter. 
Baseball , football and many other sports wear a stylized form of knickerbockers, although the pants have become less baggy in recent decades and some modern ballplayers opt to pull the trousers close to the ankles.

 During the early 1980s, media interest in the then-Lady Diana-Spencer brought a brief commercial revival of the look in women's and unisex fashion both in Europe and North America, particularly among the "town and country", "New Romantic", and "preppie" sets. However, by 1984 the style had waned as more top-heavy styles with snug pants rendered the style obsolete.

Now, it's made another comeback and I am loving it!
I call it my country look, but call it what you like, it's still a great look, especially for winter....

 THEN.........

 

............NOW

 

Follow a trend the right way..

There are just a few men who get things right when putting garment pieces together. It's very easy.... just page through fashion magazines and see what suits your style and most important, your size....

Today, I am going to discuss the new trend in wearing your pants, especially in length and style....

I have seen the 50's and 60's coming out very strongly and I have tried putting a few ideas and images together.

Cropped hems worn to the ankles are hugely a success, if worn correctly. The width of the leg should be  tapered at the bottom or as a matter of fact, slim fitting...
Rolled up hems are also good, provided that you roll the hem twice and flatten them. You do not want to be walking around with hems that look like donuts around your ankles....

If your hems are straight or wide, rather wear them long as per my previous post on  16/04/13.

This just makes a bit of sense, unless it's a great fashion statement and you do not end up looking like Bozo the clown....

I prefer wearing shoes or sneakers without socks for this look, however if paired with the right socks, it could have a totally different look.

This image below is a suit pant rolled up neatly. Not too broad. Just about two fingers should be the right width. See how the leg is tapered to the hem. Also great wearing with boots.

 This pictures shows different lengths and styles. See the two men on either side of the picture? Wide or straight cuts should be worn longer.
The three men in the center are wearing tapered or fitted pants, cropped to the ankles.

 This is a great casual or smart casual look for guys. The pants are slightly tapered at the bottom. Hems are only rolled up twice and neatly flattened. Pair this look with moccasins or boat shoes....

 Neatly slim fitted leg worn with slip on formal shoes without socks...

 This look is great if you do not want to look too formal, but want a glam rocker style.
Try wearing this look with boots!

 I love this look....fresh and chic....check the hem, style and shoes....

In conclusion....if the style suits you, wear it, but beware how you put your things together.

To pad or not to pad, that is the question!

I have always been conscious of my flat bottom and the older I get, the flatter it gets!
Yes, people might comment on "what is a guy worried of how his butt looks", but hey, this guy is.....

I conduct workshops and my backside is always faced to the audience (females)....get it? I need a rounded and shaped bottom so that my pants sit properly and not sag. My butt is not a focus here, but we are all humans and our eyes do dwell to good assets...

So.... with this short introduction to my sad looking bottom, I decided to do some investigating.
Thanks to Google search, I came across a few styles and even for men too, but alas, I was not sure that I would find any in South Africa!.....
A few weeks ago, I happened to be shopping with a female friend and as we entered a lingerie store, I spotted the most beautiful, round shaped silicone padded panties.
(Thinking to myself)....Now how on earth do I get those on....after all they are designed for females and I do have a package between my legs....(you get the idea, don't you?)
I still made a little joke about padding my bottom, but did not want my friend to know that I secretly wanted those so badly!
A few weeks later, I decided to be brave and go to the lingerie store on my own.
Not worried what the people might think, I bought one pair... just to try out.

I must admit that I feel more confident now that I wear my new silicon butt.

Bit tight around the crotch, I dare say, but with a little snip in the front, it fitted perfectly.....

It was the bravest thing I could have done and I am not shy to admit that I wear padded undies!