Tips and Feedback

Gay & Lesbian Travel Agent

I wrote a blog for Indigoguide about this and thought I might share it with the Pinkfridge readers as well because I think its worth while knowing.

South African Gay and Lesbian Travel Alliance (SAGLTA) is a new travel agency that specialises in gay and lesbian travellers wanting to visit South Africa either on Safari or just to see the beautiful country. 

SAGLTA specialise in representing hotels, guest-houses, bed and breakfasts, and game lodges who are gay friendly. They also attend to a number of other travel-related products. Their service is aimed at the international gay and lesbian market.

If you have never been on Safari, we recommend you try it for a truly remarkable and memorable experience.

What a smart idea.  This information was sourced through Google Travel News.

Let us know what you think?

by Angela

Confused about the goodness of coffee?….

Me too, so I did a little digging and this is the most sensible solution I have come up with:  Drinking 2 or 3 cups of coffee a day is just fine in terms of health.  In fact you should also gain some benefits from consuming coffee in moderation.  Firstly it is a fact that coffee stimulates the central nervous system and that is why you wake up after a cup of coffee.  Secondly, coffee contains antioxidants that help fight free radicals in the body. 

Recent research has shown that just 2 cups a day can promote heart health, reduce leg pain associated with exercise and may play a role in decreasing the risk of type two diabetes (U.S. Department of Agriculture).  The research also shows that it is possible that coffee can actually protect against diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The other positive about coffee is that it has almost no kilojoules, that is, without the milk (cream) and sugar.  If you want to indulge without the bulge, drop the sugar and milk/cream.

There has also been two studies showing that caffeine is beneficial for the reduction of cellulite and you will find caffeine in many anti-cellulite creams on the market today.  I must say that I have read somewhere though that consuming tons of caffeine can actually increase cellulite, so I am a little lost on this one.  I guess that using it topically helps cellulite and drinking too much of it can increase cellulite. I am not sure of these facts though.

The one downside to coffee I have just discovered, is that it can be a gut irritant for some people.  My poor hubby suffers from indigestion and now I am sure it has something to do with coffee.  He drinks far too much of it.

So, the verdict is; as long as you stick to the usual good advice of ‘everything in moderation’, coffee seems to be a safe morning wake up beverage.

Let us know what you want to see on this blog.

by Angela

Aah earring shopping

Does anyone out there have the same problem as I do with earrings?  I keep loosing one earring because the back clasp becomes loose after a while… it is so frustrating, but it does give me an excuse to indulge in one of my favourite pass times - shopping for earrings!!  

Whenever anyone asks me what I want as a gift, I always say Earrings please.  I find new earrings make me feel like I have a whole new outfit on. I am never happy to loose an earring and often hold on to a single earring for ages. My biggest nightmare is when I loose an earring of high value. 

I love diamond and gold earrings but because I have lost so many in the past, I only have one pair now and wear it with caution. My most recent acquisition is a platinum pair, which I guard with my life.  I generally buy more fashion earrings and steer clear of buying expensive earrings because it hurts to replace them. 

I am trying to solve my problem of loosing earrings by using the Mega Clutch back clasp (butterfly) for my stud earrings and they appear to be working well.  My only complaint with the mega clutch clasp is that they are more visible than the normal little butterfly, but at least I am keeping my earrings for longer. I found this site useful for purchasing the Mega Clutch back clasp - earringdoctor.com.  They also have what they call the LeDisc clasp which has a sterling silver post with a plastic backing to prevent drooping.  Pretty useful I think.  I own two pairs which I use all the time. 

I hope this information helps those of you out there who loose earrings like I do.  Naturally it all depends on what style earrings you prefer to wear.  You might not even like stud earrings.  I like the stud earrings, but also enjoy the hoops and the drops.  It does also depend on the occasion as to which earrings you should wear.  Have a look at pinkfridge for information about what earrings to wear for which occasion.  Sometimes a little help goes a long way.  If you have recently had your ears pierced and don’t know much about the different types of earrings, pinkfridge has it all for you. 

For those seasoned earring shoppers, I quite like this site: Susie Jewels for hoop earrings.  They are quite stylish and look fashionable but classy at the same time. Tell us what you want to know and thanks for reading our online magazine. by Angela

Cost of Travel

With the rising cost of fuel lately you might want to consider taking a break in your own back yard instead of taking an expensive holiday abroad.  Check out PinkFridge’s city breaks for some good ideas.

Make your money stretch - use it wisely - take a break but don’t break the bank.

London is a good choice if you live in the UK.  You can use your saved airfare on buying clothes or you can indulge in staying at a top hotel, eating at the best restaurants and enjoying a trip to the theatre for some fun. Considering all that London has to offer you, you wont get bored. If you run out of things to do or just run out of money, try some cultural excursions.  A lot of them are free.  London’s history alone will take you years to get through not to mention the pubs along the way for some tasty distractions.

by Angela

Looking but can’t see?

Did you know that presbyopia affects 100% of people by the age of 50?  Wow, I thought I would be immune from such things.  My husband has already been wearing glasses for the last two years because of presbyopia and I thought that I would not have to worry about it because I have not yet been affected.  Well, it seems we will all suffer from a gradual loss of sight as we get older.  Oh well….

Personally I would prefer to wear contact lenses.  I have read the information on our site, Pinkfridge about contact lenses now and am grateful to the author for making it so easy to understand. I am a strange character.  I never take the time to find out about something unless it affects either me or someone near to me.  I am now preparing myself for having to wear contact lenses. You see, glasses just don’t suit me.  I have a funny face and glasses make me look old and witch like.

Check out our site for information on contact lenses. We cover loads of information for you on all aspects of fading eye sight.  If you are looking to find out about the history, we have it.  If you want to know what conditions can be helped by contact lenses, we have it.  If you want to know the different types of contacts available, we have the info.  If you want to know more about brands and accessories, we can help and if you just want to know what and where to buy, Pinkfridge has all the low down for you.

Let us know if there is more info out there we are missing.

By Angela

Women only holidays

Now this appeals to me, so I thought I would share it with you.  I have come across a company that organizes holidays for women only.  It is a great way to escape the everyday stresses of your job or the house work and madness of family life for a week.  I have so often wanted to just get away but could not get the timing right to arrange a trip away with my girlfriends.  This company solves the problem.  Check out this site: Minster Travel Service.

The other idea that appeals to me is a weekend break with a girlfriend.  Imagine a short break of just shopping, eating and pampering in London or Paris with no demands from the family on your time at all?  Pinkfridge has a few good recommendations for ladies who are in a position to travel with a friend or family member on a short break.  You can take the family but most children (and men) will not enjoy a short City Break unless it involves a theme park or you are able to find some kind of games arcade. 

My favorite new ‘want to visit place’ is Prague.  We have enough information on Prague to help you plan how to get there, how to get around, where to stay and what to do.  Under the history section we have some handy information like Prague tourism and the airport phone numbers and a list of good books on Prague for you to indulge in.

Tell us what you want to see on our site?

by Angela

Fish out of water?

Swimming is very good exercise, there’s no doubt about that. It uses almost all major muscle groups, it’s low impact and it certainly raises the heart rate. Breastroke burns the same amount of calories as a slow jog and freestyle (or crawl) is almost the same as a run. It’s the perfect exercise for those who are overwieght, have some sort of injury or someone whose pregnant. So if you’re burning the same number of calories as joggers or cyclists then why has swimming not proven to be as effective for weight loss?

The main problem is highlighted in a research program run by Professor Grant Gwinup and published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Basically, people get very hungry after swimming and as a result they overcompensate by eating more. It’s not really clear why people get so hungry after swimming. It has been suggested that water temperture plays some part in this but the research isn’t conclusive. The results on the other hand, speak for themselves. If swimming is part of your chosen weight loss program you need to be careful about what you eat and how much.

The other problem is something you have far less control over. Muscle action. Weight training helps burn calories simply by raising the metabolic rate so it stands to reason that swimming should do the same. Unfortunately it is, once again, not as effective because of the type of muscle action that occurrs.

One of the reasons your metabolism gets a boost from weight training is because of the damage caused to muscles during these exercises. Now the thing that causes most of this damage is known as eccentric muscle action. The opposite movement would be called concetric.

An example of concentric muscle action is when your bicep works to lift a weight and eccentric is when the bicep is working to lower the weight. Unfortunately in swimming most of the work you do is concetric muscle action. Basically this means that swimming doesn’t boost the metabolic rate as much as weight training does because (strange as it sounds) it doesn’t cause as much muscle damage.

Bummer right? Wrong. The fact remains that swimming is still a good form of exercise and if you do it right, you will see results. I have a friend who went out with a girl who was quite obese before she met him. She lost all of that weight through swimming and careful control of her diet. And I have it on good authority that the results were very good indeed!

If you enjoy swimming then it’s better than trying to run when you hate running. This is because you’ll be far more consistent in your routine and you will find it easier to keep it up and integrate it into your lifestyle. If you do something you hate you won’t be consisent and so you won’t get the same results.

My advice is to go swimming in the morning when you still have a day ahead of you. That way you won’t be able to just crash; try to be as active as you can after a session. The key to doing this of course, is not to overwork yourself in the pool. Push yourself but not too hard. Rather than going for speed go for endurance so do 40 slow lengths rather than 20 full speed ahead. That way you can build your fitness up in a more controlled manner and you won’t exhaust yourself in the process.

It’s also a good idea not to go swimming on an empty stomach. It’s not good to swim on a full stomach either because this can cause cramps, so maybe have a yogurt or something before you go. Then have something slightly more substantial afterwards. But be sure not to overcompensate because, as the good doctor has said, this will just cancel out all the work you’ve just done. I know it’s hard, believe me. I’m always starving after swimming. Drink lots of water before you eat something, that way you fill yourself up without topping up the calories.

Another a good idea is obviously to try and combine swimming with something else. I don’t really like running but I can walk for miles. So if you can, walk to the sports centre rather than taking the bus. Check out the Pink Fridge website for some more ideas on what else you can do towards personal fitness and weight loss. There are loads of tips and plenty of good advice, the rest is up to you.

S.B

Breast is Best

The New York Times recently ran an article about breast fed babies being less likely to have weight problems later in life compared to those who are not breast fed (research result published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  The studies found that breast-fed children are 20 – 45% less likely to be obese. Some of the theories behind the benefit of breast feeding include; 1) breast milk could program a child’s metabolism, 2) Breast-fed babies learn to regulate their intake of food from an early age, 3) Babies fed with formula are usually encouraged to finish the bottle, whereas breast-fed babies will stop when they have had enough.