Womens Fashion By Joanne Louise

I was engrossed in a conversation last night about growth ….I’m not talking about size I’m talking about a person growing in spirit to the point where they can feel themselves flying inside.. Its a feeling that each one of us are special, that whatever you set out to do you can achieve, a feeling of such happiness its unsurpassed, a feeling that your souls flying inside totally uplifted and free..Being totally connected with your spiritual side and able to feel, experience and enjoy everything there is in life to feel without worrying ……I had a friend round last night and out came the wine, i wouldn’t normally drink it but i actually felt i wanted to try it, so its a first for me, so 2 bottles later we stumbled on this conversation and Ive now discovered i actually do like wine …

Last night was the long awaited salsa dancing lessons.. yes
For anyone who knows me knows i love to dance, either pole dancing, disco,ballroom anything goes, especially if ive had a vodka, I grew up loving music and its the biggest part of my life along with my kids..

Estelle (That lovely girl who answers the j-lou phone to you all) dragged me out early so we also went along to an egyptian dance class (belly dancing) before the salsa class, it was brilliant.
I havent got much in the hip department so its a little harder to try and wiggle it..lol but i had a good go and it must done some good as i ache everywhere today, but in a good way !

I woke up feeling like a bottle of pop today so intent to make the office a fantastic place to be in, ive made the postman jump did a little wiggle for him (or he wouldnt give me the mail) and started the day with a huge smile..

Theres something so sexy about salsa, the way the body uses the beat to move it just oozes sex appeal, the older i get the more the itch got worse so i had to get in that class, its timless you can dance at any age and this classic i think is the best thing since sliced bread..

if you havent watched the Bailamos video, get into the music section here in our blog and see if it makes your feet and body start to wiggle, i cant sit still when im listening to music and what better way to get and stay fit…its also something you do with your partner, if you havent got one, get along to a class youll get one who will already have something in common and enjoy meeting new people..

Im going to start posting every week what happens in the class and try to pass on some helpful hints as i learn, ill also pop some photos in to show you how we are doing..

You dont need a partner most classes like ours ask you to move round the room dancing with everyone, so its a great way to socialise and interact with people naturally…

Dancing goes back through the ages, theres something everyone will enjoy, and it lifts the spirit at the same time..

Theres no excuses for you saying you cant dance and have two left feet, theres bound to be someone there with two right ones to help out, my fellas used that excuse for years and ive dragged him into the class..lol

Mind you there was a stunning latino looking women there last night who was beautiful, even i couldnt stop looking at her and my fellas face when she partnered him was a picture…

So i bet he’ll be there early next week….lol

We need more men to come forward and try this, you wont be the only guy there but its so much better if the man leads and not a woman trying to be the guy, so if youre reading this and think..mmmm  i wouldnt mind trying, why not come along and try..

We feel just as awkward to walk in a class, but swallow your pride and give it a go, once youve been to one class it does wonders for your confidence, i would now feel comfortable enough to go by myself happily….

Love Jo xxx

Now xmas is out of the way its time to start with our make ourselves feel better plan..

Today i am asking you to write down 3 areas of yourself what you think are your best assets, it doesnt have to be anything to do with your shape or figure, beauty is inside ..

If you have a bubbly personality, feel you have elegance, can sing, dance, ride anything along this line, its this way we can get ourselves feeling in better shape..

For me i started kickboxing around 4 years ago, i went along to help out a friend who didnt have the confidence to go by herself, so i went along expecting nothing, but because there was two of us together it made the class fun.. I was also in a violent relationship years back and wanted to be able to defend myself better.

You dont have to do anything like kickboxing if its not something you dont fancy, but i can tell you its great fun and gets you feeling so fit its untrue, i was 2 away from my black belt and trained 3 nights a week, but because i got so high up the grades they wanted to put me at a sports village in front of hundreds of people and fight in a tournament, i didnt join to do competitions i just wanted to get fit and stay in shape, not be put on parade.. but i still practise my stetches and can do the kicks and moves just as well as i did then, once you learn its like riding a bike it stays with you. 

Many of the celebs have been turning to this, Chrsitina, Pink, Beyonce, Jlo but Nell Mc’andrew is one who inspires me, she is so fit and has done alot of good stuff to get ladies aware of the sport, once you learn its also great for confidence and self defence too.. lol

A couple of years ago i went to a club with a girlfriend of mine and didnt realise she had gone home with a guy leaving me in there on my own, i spent over an hour walking round looking for her before i got the text message to say she was home and safe, i didnt feel quite as good, i was stuck in a club i didnt want to be in and being groped by just about every bloke i walked past.. at the finish the bouncers called me a taxi and i waited just inside the door for it to come, after five mins or so this guy started to really harrass me and kept trying to pull me out of the club doors, he was very drunk but also very strong and my instincts just kicked in, i saw my taxi pull up and he was pulling me back badly so the  next thing i realised was the guy was on the floor out cold ! lol i had hit him once as i was so scared , i am tiny, but it was then i realised that it wasnt just my fitness kickboxing was helping..

Today i also horseride, i started about 5 months ago as i took my daughter but sat there week after week wanting to get on that horse , so eventually i joined up and have never loved anything as much, its a sense of freedom to feel the horse run and feel that wind in your hair, im also jumping and want to learn to showjump, i didnt know how much this pulls in your bum, but soon foun out for weeks as i was walking like john wayne until my butt got stronger..

Theres something for every lady, swimming squash, pilates, yoga, but i would suggest you ask a friend to come with you to start so you both push each other to go each week, if you feel that you are letting someone down, you are more likely to keep going..

Tomorrow i will go through some gentle excercises you can do in the comfort of your own home, so you can help yourself feel a little more better, peeling potatoes, even working on a computer ..where theres a will theres a way to excercise..

Love Jo xxx

Right its the new year ladies, all these resolutions we make, how many do we actually stick to? we all know the answer to that one.. well i want to work with you all as a team so we all help each other look and feel our best this year… come on girls we can do this..

Ive had a year of nothing but work, ive been working hours that are inhuman, trying to run this business and progress the website whilst being a good partner to my fella and bring up our 12 year old boy and 10 year old Triplets  !! yes you did just read that right…. I know what it feels like to be tired out feeling low, and not liking what i see staring back in that mirror at me….

If you are build large youll want to be small, for us ladies that are small, i wanted to be curvy so i know its rare we ever totally like ourselves, we are the first ones who look in the mirror and see only our bad points……… Its time we started to look at the good ones, lets see if this year we really can build our confidence and hit spring with a huge smile..

For any of you ladies out there who are sitting there saying i havent got the energy, there is an answer.. i know this and have found that the more we do the more we want to, it works the same with doing less.. lol

As mums we are trying to hold down jobs bring up families and still keep the house clean, many men seem to see this as the womans role, but i guarantee if you start to feel better about yourselves it will show through with your manner and confidence and your partners would be more than happy to help out more, especially if it means they gets a new happier you, it does wonders for a sex life too !

Where do we start ? daily im going to post (in jos personal blog) see side ->

A day to day guide of little things that will make a big difference..

I can help with fashion tips, what suits shapes sizes and what colours suit what skin shades, and if we work together having fun along the way by spring we will all be feeling so much better (ready for spring) health, diets, excercise, from kickboxing to horseriding, theres something that works for us all ….

Dont wait til it gets here then start sighing as you dont want to be seen in a swimsuit, preparation is the key to everything and 16 weeks can make a huge difference to how you feel and look..

Ive done all types of excercise and know what works, but ive always found that the basics work best, starting with healthy eating..

Ive always believed that shock treatments work better than any of these fad diets, my sister is a large curvy lady and has been on every diet known to man, everytime she puts back the weight and gets disheartened, so dont pay to be told you need to loose weight, well work through it together without costing anything except a cuppa while reading our daily blog..

I always believe that its not the shape size or hair colour, you can have the curviest lady who just seems to bubble with fun, its all about confidence and knowing what your best features are and using them to feel good…..

I hope you will work with me, i want to be the best shape as i can be when i hit my birthday in may (its my 40th) so lets make 2008 the year to feel great….

I would love it if you ladies will share your day to day thoughts and experiences, we can swap tips and patt each other on our cyber backs, and i guarantee you by spring when everything is bursting with life we will be too..

Love Joanne xxx

WWW.J-LOU.COM

Top 10 Stress Warning Signs Stress works in mysterious ways. Did you know humming, excessive blinking, itching and dandruff are part of our system’s reaction to tension? Perhaps your body’s trying to tell you take time out. So, listen-up and get to know the signs so you can stress-proof your life.   BLINKING
Increased blinking is telltale evidence that we are feeling the pressure, either emotionally or physically. When in a relaxed state, the average blink rate is around 15-30 times a minute but under stress this can increase to up to 70 times a minute. The response is known as the Nixon Effect after American president Richard Nixon, whose blinking escalated to suspicious levels when under pressure during the Watergate scandal.  

TEETH GRINDING
Nocturnal teeth grinding is thought to be a way of relieving tension. Clenching or grinding teeth is a recognised response to anxiety, however, most ‘grinders’ are unaware they have this symptom as the condition usually flares-up when they are fast asleep. But it’s important to wake-up to signs such as chipped teeth, tooth sensitivity, sore jaw muscles and earache because prolonged exposure to grinding can result in headaches and jaw disorders.DANDRUFF
Stress sets off a chain reaction in our physiology and as a result plays havoc with the immune system. On the outside, our hair and skin is one of the first places to show the strain - so it’s no wonder dandruff is the most common condition affecting the scalp. Research suggests weakened immunity triggers the bacteria which cause dandruff to grow out of control, swell and irritate the top of the head. As the cells die they break down to produce the pesky white flakes which cause a snow storm on our shoulders.  

 

DRY MOUTH
When the going gets tough, our instinctive ‘fight or flight’ response kicks in. For basic survival purposes, blood flow is diverted away from less important areas and re-routed to essential muscles in case we need to scarper sharpish. This lack of fluid causes dryness of the mouth. Stress also interferes with our breathing - we take shorter, shallow breaths which leads to stinky breath. It can even make it harder to swallow because our throat muscles go into spasm as a side-effect of the strain on our system.     POOR

Stress can sabotage your libido in more ways than one. When you’re stressed to the max, the body’s reaction is to put survival ahead of pleasure. This affects the hypothalamus gland and the body’s production of estrogens and testosterone which give us sexual desire. Women may find it hard to achieve orgasm and men can experience temporary impotence as the chemicals released when stressed reduce blood flow to the penis.IRRITATED SKIN
Emotional stress can cause chaos with our skin as pressure prompts the release of histamines into the bloodstream. Our skin then reacts against this enzyme which results in itchiness and hives. Skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema are also thought to worsen when tense. Studies of psychological stress show anxiety can decrease the wound-healing capacity of the immune system by up to 40%, which doubles the effect of stress on acne.SWEATS
Perspiration doesn’t only increase but is also smellier when we’re under emotional pressure. The sympathetic nervous system kicks into action when the body is stressed which forces our heart rate, blood pressure and breathing to rocket. Our apocrine glands (responsible for smelly sweat as opposed to odourless eccrine gland sweat) also work overtime and secrete more fatty fluid into the tubule of the gland. When we’re wound up, the tubule wall contracts and pushes sweat to the surface of the skin. It’s the bacteria waiting to break down the apocrine sweat which causes body odour.TUMMY TROUBLE
One of the first places we run to when we come under increased pressure is the toilet. Stress tampers with our biochemistry and sends a surge of hormones including adrenaline racing through our body. Our digestive and immune system temporarily shut down because these stress hormones hinder the release of the stomach acid we need to break down food. However, get ready to say hello to diarrhoea as, simultaneously, the same hormones stimulate the colon so its contents are fast-tracked through the gut.

HUMMING
Did you know humming and whistling could be your body’s natural way of soothing a stressful situation? It might seem like an innocuous habit to subconsciously slip in to when you are stressed, but humming stimulates the right side of the brain (the part used for abstract and creative thoughts) and may help you to calm down. Humming is even one of the preferred stress-busters for babies who want to calm themselves.

BAD HABITS
Nail biting, nose picking, hair twisting are common habits if you’re nervous. It’s suggested that having something in our mouths reminds us of the calming, safe feeling of sucking milk as a baby. On the face of it, such anxious habits might look unpleasant to onlookers, but these manners may trigger calming sensors in the nervous system to give an immediate rush of relief.

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