Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (58 page)

HOW TO

1.
Stuff the cardboard tube with the cellophane.

2.
Cover the ends of the tube with duct tape, then wrap the duct tape around the tube, making sure it’s secure and tight.

3.
Show it to your dog and crackle it a few times—your dog will take over.

FOUR GREAT RECYCLED DOG TOYS

1. Don’t clean out your old plastic peanut butter jar. Instead, let your dog have hours of fun licking it out.
   
2. Fill an old plastic water bottle with kibble and leave the top off. Then watch your doggie having hours of fun trying to get the kibble out.
   
3. Cut up an old garden hose into 12-inch lengths and let your doggie use it as a chew toy.
   
4. Save a bunch of catalogs, roll them up, and let your dog go crazy ripping them up—this is especially good for puppies.
   

Jumping Cat Toy

Instead of buying those expensive cat toys with teasing feathers or bells on them, this will cost you nothing to make and will drive your kitty nuts!

HOW TO

1.
Unravel the hook of the hanger, straighten it out, and wrap the ends around the rest of the squeezed-together hanger.

2.
Wrap masking tape around the entire length of your squeezed-together hanger. Double up the tape over the unraveled hook part, so that you cover and pull in the sharp ends of the wire. Work from one end to the other.

3.
Leave the loop of wire at the end of your toy free of masking tape. Loop and knot the lengths of yarn around the loop (like tassels). Now you have the perfect cat toy.

4.
For extra kitty interest, you can attach a bell to one of the pieces of yarn. The bell, however, can be a choking hazard, so make sure you put it somewhere the cat cannot reach when it’s not in use.

Taking care of
you
can be expensive and seriously time-consuming. How often have you implored a girlfriend who looks a bit frayed at the seams, “You need to take care of yourself”? How often have you promised yourself that
this
year you will really learn to take better care of yourself? We can have the greatest intentions in the world, but life happens. Our day gets packed to the max with kids, meetings, shopping, cooking, and e-mails—so much so that it often seems laughable to carve out time for meditation, much less exercise. The scary thing, however, is that the neglect will inevitably lead us to being less effective, healthy, and happy in the long run.

I’d love to be able to afford a personal trainer every day, someone who would ring my front doorbell and force me through a rigorous and sweaty routine before I had time to think twice about it. Most of us can’t afford this luxury, though, and it’s the “thinking twice” that kills us. I’ll open my eyes first thing, thinking, “Right, as soon as I’ve packed my daughter off, the dumbbells are coming out.” But then Phoebe, my little dog, needs some cuddling time and a girlfriend calls to chat. Before I know it, my precious 20 minutes that I’d earmarked for exercise or meditation has gone, and I’m legging it out to a meeting.

I’ve come to realize that every day I
don’t
exercise is a day my muscles will
lose strength and tone, making it increasingly harder to get away with a skimpy summer tank. Every day that I don’t carve out time for quiet, meditation, or deep breathing, I put years onto my life with unnecessary stress. I want to look wonderful as I grow older. I want to look rested, with shiny eyes, glowing skin, and a toned behind. Thinking about it will accomplish nothing, so I’ve taught myself not to think twice, but to spring into action even with dogs and children participating. I’ve learned to surround myself with a bubble of “me” time that everyone has to respect.

Too Busy?

If you really don’t think you have time to do a few exercises every day, you are wrong. The following arm, tummy, and butt exercises will take you all of 15 minutes total and then you’re done. You’ll feel fantastic when you’ve finished them.

These exercises are not intended to take the place of a full-on fitness program that you may have in place. They’re not supposed to take the place of running, hiking, or walking—they are designed to supplement whatever else you have going. Bottom line, this routine is the
minimum
that I want you to do at least three times a week. If you want to be able to proudly don a skimpy bikini, a summer tank, and adorable skinny jeans at any age, there’s no getting out of the little bit of effort required here!

DIY Fitness

You are going to become your own trainer, your own self-motivator. Because I’ve made this routine very easy, you should be able to learn it in two sessions and then you can plug into your iPod and have a blast doing it. You can save yourself a bunch of dollars by doing it yourself and becoming your own fitness trainer.

Awesome Abs

Aside from the six-pack that we all dream about possessing, getting your abdominal muscles strong and tight is paramount for keeping back problems at bay. If you suffer from lower back issues, it’s likely that you need to seriously strengthen your stomach muscles. The following exercises are quick and simple.

AB TIP

When you’re performing abdominal exercises, the key is to draw in your lower abs and keep them tight throughout. As you are sitting in your chair now, sit upright and draw your pubic bone in toward your spine, curving your tailbone up. Tighten your glutes (the muscles in your buttocks). This is the feeling you want to maintain throughout all of the following exercises.

LEG LIFTS

1. Start on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Your arms should be by your sides, palms facing down. Straighten your legs to a 90-degree angle, making sure you feet are directly above your hips.
   
2. Lift your legs and buttocks off the floor. Keep your legs straight, up over your hips with your toes pointing upward.
   
3. Slowly return to starting position, while keeping your muscles contracted.
   

Tip:
Keep your legs directly above your hips without letting them drop forward, toward you, or back.

Breathing:
Exhale as you lift, inhale as you return.

Sets:
2 sets of 12 repetitions

CRUNCH IT UP

If performed diligently, the basic, traditional crunch will have you well on your way to a good six-pack.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip width apart.
   
2. If you are a beginner, place your interlaced fingers behind your head. If you’re intermediate or advanced, extend your arms overhead and place one palm over the other.
   
3. Draw your navel toward your spine and curl your torso up and toward your thighs until your shoulder blades are off the mat. Return
   slowly
   (keeping your abs tight) to the floor.
   

Tip:
Look up toward the ceiling, so you limit tension in the neck.

Breathing:
Exhale as you lift, inhale as you lower.

Sets:
2 sets of 12 repetitions

REACH BACKS

This is a great exercise for all the abdominal muscles.

1. Sit on your mat with your knees bent and your feet about 2 feet in front of your sit bones.
   
2. Extend your arms, palms down, fingers pointing forward and shoulder height.
   
3. Contract your abs, drawing your pubic bone toward your spine, forming a C curve. This helps to draw your tailbone up.
   
4. Lower your torso halfway to the floor and pause.
   
5. Making sure your C curve is still strong, reach your left arm out to the side and back, as if you are trying to reach something behind you.
   
6. Bring your left arm back to its starting position. Repeat with the right arm.
   

Tip:
If you find yourself straining, gently hold the backs of your thighs with your hands.

Breathing:
Exhale as you lower your torso and reach behind you. Inhale as you bring your arm back to center.

Sets:
3 sets of 15 repetitions

BICYCLE

This is one of the few ab exercises that I actually enjoy doing.

1. Lie on a mat with your knees bent toward your chest and your hands interlaced behind your head.
   
2. As you extend your right leg out in front of you, draw your right elbow up to touch your left knee.
   
3. Now extend your left leg as you pull your right knee up and touch your left elbow to it.
   

Tip:
Your extended leg should be straight out and parallel to the floor. To increase the intensity of this exercise, hold your position for 4 breaths when your elbow meets your knee.

Breathing:
Exhale as you extend your leg out in front of you. Inhale to come back up.

Sets:
3 sets of 10 alternating repetitions