Functional Kitchen Before and After By Candice Olson 2013 Ideas

When a celebrity stylist needed help making over his kitchen, he called Candice Olson. The divine designer transformed his space from 1980s and old to glamorous and now.

• By : Candice Olson

Before: Outdated and Cold

This outdated kitchen doesn't exactly say "stylist to the stars."

After: Fashionable and Functional

Enter Candice Olson who created a new kitchen that is both traditional and hip. Divine details include travertine floors, a quartz-topped island, crystal chandeliers and a stunning, silver-foil wallpaper.

2013 Girls' Room Curtains Design Ideas

To chose the best girls' room curtains, a great way to start is by thinking about what you need in the space. For instance, if the child's room gets a lot of natural light, you may want to look for curtains with a light-blocking lining. Also consider the hardware you'll require for the styles of girls' room curtains you're considering. You may want to choose a curtain rod set that can be used for different curtain patterns over the years. If your child is old enough, you could narrow down some available styles and colors before asking her which she likes best.

 If you've established a theme in a girls' room, it's best to continue that in curtains. For instance, in a princess themed space, animal motif curtains are likely to appear mismatched. Another consideration is the amount of detailed pattern already in the room. Picking up the details, whether these are flowers or other motifs, by including them in the curtains can tie in all of the decor and furnishings nicely. Alternatively, if you prefer a look that is colorful without being too "busy," you could select a solid color of curtains that will still coordinate with everything.

 When choosing girls' room curtains where you haven't already established a theme or color scheme, starting with the window covering selection can be inspiring. By looking at different colors and patterns of girls' room curtains, you may find one that will help establish the theme as well as the hues of the whole space. If you find several different curtains that are in stock and in your price range, letting your daughter have the final pick can be a great idea.

If budget is a strong consideration when choosing curtains, many department store and other shop-at-home websites allow you to list products by price. This way, you may be more likely to see something in a lower price range that will make the best girls' room curtains for your home. When choosing lower cost curtains, it's important to consider the quality and maintenance. If the window coverings are going to fade or start falling apart after only a few washings, or they're dry clean only, you aren't likely to actually save money by choosing the cheapest curtains.

Written By: Sheri Cyprus

15 best fitness tips for good health

 Leading a lifestyle that spells good health is a combination of different factors that includes exercise and eating right.

About a decade ago, for me, good health meant either being able to perform a certain exercise like bench press, running, etc. If you really want to assess your health, then you need to look at your overall health, which would mean mental, emotional and physical health. Here are 15 best fitness tips for good health - it's better to start as early as you can, and work on your health.

 Be active daily for mental health
Prolonged periods of inactivity are often the cause of anger, frustration, lethargy and depression. On the other hand, those who are active regularly experience a better mood, feel more energetic, and overall enjoy a better life.

Be active daily for physical health
Being active does not necessarily mean doing a 25km run daily, and nor does it necessarily mean squatting double your bodyweight daily. Even lighter activities like walking, swimming, yoga, playing with kids, cleaning up the house, riding a bicycle, etc are all examples of being active. For most people, intense activities like weight training, sprinting, etc should ideally be kept to about 3-5 times a week, and on the other days, lighter activity is recommended.

Strength train and lift heavy
Almost every month there seems to some study that comes out with the finding that strength training, including lifting heavy weights has multiple health benefits. Starting from weight management, increased energy levels, better glucose metabolism, etc there are many reasons why you must strength train. You can strength train by using your own bodyweight and lifting barbells, dumbbell, kettlebell, etc.

Do cardio
Now cardio does not necessarily mean doing painfully long and slow activities like distance jogging. It can also be done in a short time with intense activities like sprinting, circuit training, kickboxing, etc. Infact, the intense options seem to provide better results overall, in terms of cardio fitness, improving body composition, increasing growth hormone production, etc.

Maintain healthy bodyweight and bodyfat levels
The extra fat increases your chances of getting a heart attack, diabetes, hypertension, etc. Also, I would like to mention that extra bodyweight, even in the form of muscle is not necessarily healthy in the long run. Whether muscle or fat, the extra weight has to be carried around by your joints, and at a later age, that can really start telling on your joint health.

Check your BMI
A good way to calculate your ideal bodyweight is to use the BMI calculator. Now I know that a lot of people feel that the BMI is not an accurate way to measure ideal bodyweight, but in my opinion, unless someone has unnaturally huge muscles thanks to steroids, the BMI is a reasonably accurate calculator of one's ideal bodyweight. Again, it is not necessarily perfect, but is pretty close for most people.

Maintain ideal flexibility and mobility levels
Most people in their 20's have already lost a lot of flexibility that they had when they were 5 years old. So you can only imagine how much tighter they will get when they are in their 40's and 50's. The good news is that it doesn't have to be this way. You can improve your joint mobility and flexibility levels as long as you work on it. You should be able to touch your toes.
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Flexibility and mobility workouts
Start your workouts with 10-20 minutes of joint mobility work, and finish your workouts with 5-10 minutes of stretching, and focus more on your tight areas. You can also do mobility and flexibility work on your off days to get in extra activity and improve faster.

Eat a balanced diet
Our body relies on a variety of nutrients to function properly, and no matter how much someone might try to convince you that a particular food group needs to be avoided altogether, you will find that eating it, even if in small amounts, is better. For eg: without adequate carbs you will struggle to do intense workouts and perform well. Similarly a diet very high in protein can cause a lot of stress on your kidneys.

Eat a balanced diet
I would also suggest that you get your nutrients from a variety of sources. For example, don't just rely on chicken for your protein, eat fish, eggs, red meat, etc. Each source offers a different mineral and vitamin profile for you to take advantage of. And yes, don't forget to intake enough water for optimal health.

Limit junk food
Let's face it, we live in a society where we are surrounded by junk food, and trying to resist it all the time, including when we go out with friends and family is likely to drive you nuts. So once in a while your little indulgence will not kill you. In fact, many experts claim that if 80% of your calories are clean, then you can have some fun with the remaining 20%.

Source  http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-27/fitness/38861630_1_bodyweight-good-health-bmi

Cheap Living Room Decorating Updates 2013 Ideas

Cheap doesn't have to mean ugly, broken or disheveled. Choosing cheap living room furniture can be as easy as waiting for the right time, searching through stores, garage sales and online or making a careful inspection of each piece. Haggling well can also help when purchasing the furniture.

 One way to choose cheap living room furniture is to comparison shop. Look through various furniture websites in addition to sales fliers that come with newspapers. If a store or company seems extremely out of price range, so much so that even getting steep discounts wouldn't help, there are many more that are more affordable. Make a list of options that are more in the appropriate price range so, if a discount is possible, it is an added bonus.

 Surprisingly, garage sales and thrift stores can have quite a selection of beautiful living room furniture. In some cases, the only reason the previous owners gave away or are selling the pieces is because it was too expensive to move to a new location, they wanted something different or they were downsizing. These are places to haggle, especially when buying several pieces from the same location — ask if it's possible for a bulk rate. Make sure not to let anyone put pressure to buy any pieces that don't seem less than perfect for your home.

They've been around forever, but candle sconces are still brilliant for adding ambience without calling an electrician.

An extra large mat is a simple trick for giving a small photo or piece of art big presence.

Add one woven or wicker chair to a room. Spray paint it a great color, and you have both seating and an element of surprise.

Have a card you can't bear to throw away? Put it in a frame or easier yet  perch it on a little easel, and you've got art.

Plants are an underappreciated decorating tool. They bring life and color to a room, they're relatively inexpensive, and they're good for you, too.

A corbel is a clever perch for an accessory. Painted a bright color, it draws attention to whatever you put on it.

In place of a predictable coffee table, use two inexpensive side tables. Outline the edges with strips of nailhead trim for a high end look.

Remove the jackets, then group books by color, standing some upright and stacking others. Shelves will seem more organized and have an artistic, color blocked look.

2013 Traditional Living Room Decorating Ideas from BHG

If you're trying to choose the best traditional living room furniture, you may think about the colors and patterns that meet your preference and will blend with the rest of your home.
You may want to consider which style you like as well. The best traditional living room furniture will fit into your living room and allow the room to look spacious. You should also give some thought to durability and comfort. Price can be a factor as you compare furniture sets.

 Some people see their living room as the focus of their home. Your traditional living room furniture should be a pattern or color that you enjoy and that will set the theme of the house. You may want to go with solid colored furniture and use decorative pillows and paintings to give the room more texture. You could also choose a patterned fabric for the furniture and use solids to decorate the rest of the room. Many people will mix and match solids and patterns to create the best living room.

You may have a specific style in mind for your traditional living room furniture. Some people prefer a black and white living room, while others enjoy splashes of color such as an art deco living room. Depending upon the rest of the house, you may enjoy a themed living room. This could include a country living room or a contemporary living room.

Get inspired by this ideas . I hope that you will find it useful for you ... Enjoy it !!

Elegant, traditional furnishings complement the ornate architecture of this formal living.

This generous family room is filled with places to gather for good conversation or simply relax. The coveted spot is a perch on the window seat spanning the wall of glass with a great view.

The homeowner took inspiration from her wardrobe favorites to outfit her fashion forward living room in muted spice tones with splashes of turquoise. She balanced solids and patterns like she would her attire and used details such as a colorful tassel trim on the curtains to pull the room together like a stylish scarf puts the finishing touch on an outfit.

The space off the kitchen in this active home truly needed to function as a "family" room—where busy kids could romp or pass through from the outdoors, and Mom and Dad could enjoy fuss free living. The answer was deep, dirt disguising colors and wipeable and washable materials, all with a stylish finish.

A whimsical paper lantern light fixture plays up the Asian influence accents that add character to this traditionally furnished sitting room. Orange and red pieces pop against the playful green walls.

Reversing the traditional role of neutral walls with colored furnishings, this living room boasts a soft green backdrop that shows off upholstery pieces in tailored linen color fabrics. A punch of color and pattern on the ottoman coffee table draws the green into the room.

Artful do it yourself projects take this sitting room from plain Jane to personality packed. Wallpaper scraps become graphic pieces of framed art, fabric dresses up a simple lampshade, and a little paint and upholstery elbow grease updates a flea market find footstool.

This cozy cottage living room came together with easy do it yourself projects. Slipcovers breath new life into outdated chairs (one was simply sewn from a canvas drop cloth). Sunny punches of bright yellow energize the classic blue and white scheme and add modern graphic interest fashioned from white paint on yellow fabric.

An oversize ottoman functions as extra seating, a cozy footrest, and a catch all for a variety of small accessories in this stylish living space.

Golden damask draperies add a splash of contrast to the room's cool color palette.

Discreet storage packed into a couple core furniture pieces, such as the coffee table and sofa table, adds great functionality to this family room gathering hub.

A color palette of dusty sky blue and pumpkin orange is accented by a chocolate brown to create a scheme that's classic, yet family oriented.

A modern coffee table and chair slipcovered in lime velvet give this formal living room a youthful energy, while yards of neutral color fabric subtly soften the large windows.

Bold red accents add depth and character to the neutral walls and furniture in this living room.

A variety of patterns and textures blends effortlessly throughout the space since each piece features the same red hue.

Mixing cheery with serious colors creates a sophisticated, playful vibe. The living room's serious side resides within the cool gray walls, sofa, and area rug and the navy club chairs. All the furniture circulates around a striking yellow ottoman, creating an intimate conversation area. Bold pattern accent pillows bring all of the room's colors together, while chrome accessories add subtle sparkle.

Food Variety, Calorie Intake, and Weight Gain

Let's kick off this post with a quote from a 2001 review paper (1):

Increased variety in the food supply may contribute to the development and maintenance of obesity.  Thirty-nine studies examining dietary variety, energy intake, and body composition are reviewed. Animal and human studies show that food consumption increases when there is more variety in a meal or diet and that greater dietary variety is associated with increased body weight and fat.

This may seem counterintuitive, since variety in the diet is generally seen as a good thing.  In some ways, it is a good thing, however in this post we'll see that it can have a downside.
Read more »

Functional Kitchen Before and After By Candice Olson

When a celebrity stylist needed help making over his kitchen, he called Candice Olson. The divine designer transformed his space from 1980s and old to glamorous and now.

• By : Candice Olson

Before: Outdated and Cold

This outdated kitchen doesn't exactly say "stylist to the stars."

After: Fashionable and Functional

Enter Candice Olson who created a new kitchen that is both traditional and hip. Divine details include travertine floors, a quartz-topped island, crystal chandeliers and a stunning, silver-foil wallpaper.

2013 Neutral Living Room Decorating Ideas from BHG

Cherished for its timeless livability, neutral wears well with everything, which is why a neutral living room is so appealing. From linen to taupe, dove gray to charcoal, neutral clad living rooms are warm, welcoming, and classic. Browse our photos of neutral living rooms for inspiring ways to blend style and sophistication in your home. Whether your style is classic, transitional, or modern, a neutral backdrop allows the perfect setup for upbeat colors and playful patterns without overwhelming the space. If you love the look of a bold accent wall or the pop of colorful pillows, our neutral living room ideas will help you discover new, powerful ways to punch up plain hues. In a neutral living room, center conversation on an eye-catching area rug with a chevron, striped, or geometric pattern and painted storage pieces. Anchor your living room with a pair of patterned armchairs to add contrast to a neutral color scheme. Create depth in a neutral living room by pairing white walls with dark furnishings. Install beaded board and millwork to instantly revive a bland ceiling and bare walls.
Get inspired by this ideas . I hope that you will find it useful for you ... Enjoy it !!

A cozy arrangement of comfortable upholstered pieces encourages gathering for good company in this living room. When it's movie time, built in cabinetry next to the fireplace reveals a pop up TV.

A modern coffee table and chair slipcovered in lime velvet give this formal living room a youthful energy, while yards of neutral-color fabric subtly soften the large windows.

With no architectural features such as a fireplace or built ins as a natural focal point, furniture and artwork create the missing element.

The matching cabinets add height to the boxy room, and the mirrored doors reflect light and space.

Inspired by a family painting showcased over the fireplace, this family room features upholstery in simple neutrals with staying power, while pillows and accessories splash color from the artwork around the room. The casual, relaxed setting fits a young, active family.

While a crisp black and white palette grounds this family room in sophistication, fearless sprinkles of lime green (prompted by painting the back of the built in bookshelves) make the gathering spot fun and inviting. Plump khaki brown armchairs invite comfortable lounging, while traditional details like the fireplace surround and damask print curtains give the room an elegant edge, which creates a space that is designed for both casual and formal gatherings.

Oversize plush chairs resting in a palette of warm wood tones creates this cozy, masculine sitting room that harkens relaxation.

Repeating similar elements at different places throughout a room brings visual unison. In this attractive living room, the prominent weathered wood mirror on the mantel links to a worn coffee table, while woven baskets reflect the sisal floorcovering. Gray built-ins and aubergine-meets-brown chairs add a bit of color to the neutral space.

Arrangement of the sofa and area rug give this seating area its own identity from the kitchen, while a neutral palette across the spaces embraces the open floor plan. Dusty plum pillows and a furry gray pouf give the neutral room a sense of dimension.

Bold red accents add depth and character to the neutral walls and furniture in this living room. A variety of patterns and textures blends effortlessly throughout the space since each piece features the same red hue.

This renovated basement makes excellent use of previously unused living space. Two walls covered with stone add natural texture and hint at the underground location of the room.

Other walls were left white to prevent the space from looking cavelike and cramped.

Neutral furniture also helps keep the space feeling open and inviting.

An open floor plan paves the way for family gatherings in this spacious living area. Creamy whites and natural wood tones unite the living room and adjoining kitchen. 

Minimal accessories ensure the space doesnat look cluttered and cramped.