Safari Holidays – For An Adventurous And Exciting Vacation

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Safari holidays are a recreational activity, more popular with people who love adventure and excitement. These generate major revenue for several African nations, which are the most common safari destinations of the world. The primary goal of visitors is to watch animals in the wild, especially the Big Five which refers to Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard, Lion and Rhino. They offer great pleasure and memories for a lifetime.

Safari holidays are an amazing travel experience. The rich wildlife and diversity make Kenya and East Africa, the best safari locations. They are famous for their scenic beauty, diverse cultures, abundant wildlife, beaches, and warm tropical waters completing a holiday experience. Usually safaris operate using 4-wheeler drive vehicles. It can also be on foot, horseback, elephant back or boat depending on the type of terrain.

Kenya safari provides a lifetime experience with its best game reserve – the Masai Mara. The dry winter and warm spring are the perfect time to visit. The rolling grasslands and wide-open savannahs are heaven to its vivid and finest wildlife. It hosts the spectacular annual wildebeest migration and the Big Five. Amboseli is another classic wild life destination with snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro in the background. Safari holidays at Lake Nukuru with its complete stretch of brilliant pink flamingos are another popular choice.

Tanzania, the land of Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and Serengeti, offer a huge array of game reserves and national parks. The natural abundance of wildlife and the annual wildebeest migration ensure a perfect Tanzania safari holiday.

South Africa boasts of the largest and most diverse game reserve, the Kruger National park. The most varied and enchanting countries of the world have a combination of landscapes, people, history and culture. The endless savannah grasslands, dense undergrowth and amazing wildlife provide the thrill to South Africa Safari. The Big 5 in a malaria-free environment at the Eastern Cape makes a perfect holiday for families.

Travellers can opt for adventure travel, luxury tours or beach holidays. Selecting the best game-viewing period to travel makes the safari holidays worth every penny. Tourists can opt for simple, shorter tour packages to longer, comprehensive ones depending on their affordability. The type of accommodation also varies a great deal. Expensive lodges with excellent facilities and game viewing opportunities are available. The luxurious lodges combine exciting game drives with superb cuisine and plenty of time to relax by the pool. Traditional houses with thatched roofs can also be opted for. Suites and standard rooms which feature a large living area and bedroom are the other choices.

The safari operators make Safari holidays easy, convenient and hassle free. Combined with beach holidays, they provide a relaxed laid-back vacation. The operators organize personalized itineraries as per the individual’s interests and requirements. A perfect all round schedule include safaris on full board basis, accommodation, return flights, transfers, taxes and park entry fees. With these, people can relax and enjoy their tours and safaris to the maximum.

The Holiday Meltdown Keeping Off Holiday Weight for Women

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Ladies, those magical and fat-filled Holidays are just around the corner. Bountiful arrays of foods to entice you to feast on, high-cal drinks and constant snacks are all soon within reach. Possible unwanted pounds could be gained all too easily because of the eating variety this time of year brings. But, if pounds are undesired, why go out of your way to stuff face during all those holiday feasts and family gatherings?

Don’t cave and use the Holidays as an excuse to overindulge on all those hearty and unhealthful eatables. Instead, consider some alternatives to avoid an all too familiar holiday weight gain.

Clearly, most holiday foods are super fatty and high in calorie content, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t enjoy some of your favorite eats. Just be smart and attempt to cut back on their fatty and caloric values.

Start With a Fatty Cut Back:
Initially, start your day off with a generous breakfast, especially one full of protein. Eating protein is proven to keep you satisfied, as it takes longer to actually digest.
When partying, arrive with something already in your stomach. This way you’ll be less inclined to feast and constantly snack. Ideally, eat a little snack or small salad before you celebrate festivities at friends’ parties.
Avoid eating those sweets! Sugar cravings lead to an increased carbohydrate intake, which is detrimental when in excess. And when carbohydrate cravings are indulged upon a nasty cycle of continued carb consumption will ensue. Avoid those simple carbohydrates, and opt for complex ones instead, as they are more healthful and will sate your cravings more efficiently.
Constant running and shopping may keep you from eating well. Keep your kitchen stacked and supplied with an eclectic food selection. Mundane pantries lead to bland eating habits and poor health. Be varied and healthful instead, keeping in mind low fat and low cal eats!
Drinking on an empty stomach is also a no go. Always have a little something to eat while you’re drinking, as this can stop you from getting tipsy and being irrational with your holiday eating, or more typically, binging.
A fan of turkey? Opt to eat better and healthier with your birds. Choose skinless white meat rather than dark meat turkey.The manner in which you cook during the holidays is also a way to maintain your weight, shed pounds and just be mindful of unnecessary fats and calories.

Holiday Cooking Tips:
Pass your homemade gravy through a skimmer before serving to cut the fat and calories.
Opt to cook your stuffing outside the holiday bird and in a separate baking dish. External stuffing contains fewer calories and fat than stuffing cooked inside a turkey.
Provide items for family and friends at parties that are very low-cal and low-fat, such as a fresh fruit salad and steamed vegetables topped with lemon juice and herbs. And for snacking, serve pretzels and low-fat snack mixes instead of starchy, greasy chips and doodles.
Plate basic baked potatoes with your meals instead of sugary candied yams.
Instead of serving a rich, decadent pecan pie serve a humble and healthful apple pie topped with fat free frozen yogurt.
Using leftover meats from meals on sandwiches, use mustard instead of mayonnaise.In tandem with these healthful cut backs and cooking tips, you have to also stay active. Being sedentary over the holidays is asking for a weight gain. So, exercise! If anything, use exercise as a means to relieve built up holiday stress from all the shopping, in laws and frigid weather.

Make a holiday home movie

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At family get-togethers, there is always at least one person who goes around with a camera taking pictures. They bravely chase the kids around and make them stand still just so they can snap a few nice photos. They line up all the adults and make everyone say “cheese.”

These pictures eventually end up on your wall, or on your refrigerator, and serve as an instant reminder of the joyful memories you and your family share every year especially during the holidays.

You can certainly take this photo-taking tradition a step further and create an amazing holiday slideshow from all the pictures you have. It is just like a movie about your family made up of different photos, video effects, and laid over with music.

Sound interesting? You can easily make a holiday home movie by using muvee Reveal automated video editing software, which will let you create holiday video in a matter of minutes.

For example, if you have a few good photos on your camera or on your computer, you can import them into muvee Reveal, add some music, and make a wonderful holiday slideshow. There are a few pre-set transition styles that will help you get the right “feel” for your movie. A few of my favorite styles are “Scrapbook,” “Reflections,” and “Kinetic” they really make your pictures come to life!

In addition to using photos, you can take short videos with your camera and include them in your video slideshow. If you get your holiday videos done in time before the next big family gathering, you can proudly show them off during the festivities.

Even if you don’t have any recent photos, you can scan older images onto your computer, and start making memorable movies from those! One of the best things about muvee Reveal is that it produces your home video in a high-definition (HD) format that is superior to many other video-editing programs available today. There is no better way to capture your family memories this holiday season than by creating a beautiful HD video that you can keep for years, and share with everyone you love.

With muvee Reveal, you will get many holiday video ideas just by playing with all the different styles, and adding your own personalized caption to each slide. Get started today with a and see how much fun it is!

Altitude Sickness on your Skiing Holiday

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Altitude sickness is little documented but very real problem for skiers of all abilities and levels of experience during their skiing vacations. Often a stay in an idyllic, high altitude La Plagne chalets can cause the same problems as a hike up Kilimanjaro! Here we give you the lowdown on the symptoms and experiences of skiers with altitude sickness.

What with all the rich holiday food, the intense exercise and that bottle of mulled wine you saw off around the fire of your La Plagne chalet the night before, you may put your light head and nausea down to indigestion, tiredness or even a hangover. But often, the real culprit is altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness can be a real problem for skiers, especially in high altitude locations. It is a problem which is often overlooked but which can be extremely dangerous if you find yourself affected whilst out on the slopes. Even from the comfort of your La Plagne chalet it can be an extremely unpleasant experience.

Symptoms of altitude sickness include:

Light-headedness

Physical weakness

Tiredness

Exhaustion

Nausea

Headaches

Dehydration

Mental Confusion

Trouble Sleeping
The effects of altitude sickness whilst skiing can range from the unpleasant to the extremely dangerous. You are unlikely to find yourself suffering too severely in your La Plagne chalet because skiing accommodation is often situated lower than the ski slopes themselves. But once up and ready to ski, especially at altitudes greater than 6,500 ft, you could get into real trouble.
There have been plenty of frightening reports of altitude sick skiers becoming disorientated and lost in the cold. The key, according to many health professionals, is hydration. Drinking lots of water, around 8 litres a day, can help you to fend off altitude sickness. Equally, avoiding large amounts of coffee and alcohol can help stop you becoming dehydrated and therefore altitude sick.

Ascending mountains slowly can also help to reduce the problem. Perhaps spending the first day of your skiing holiday on lower ski runs and then working your way up is advised, as this will allow your body to get used to the lack of oxygen. Above all, be sensible! If you feel unwell then avoid skiing, snuggle up in your La Plagne chalet and, if the symptoms persist, seek the advice of a local doctor who will be well versed in altitude sickness problems.

Keeping the Happy in the Holidays

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Keeping the “Happy” in the Holidays

By Lezlie Cebulski , ND , EFT-ADV

With the season of peace and joy upon us, we busy ourselves with holiday activities such as shopping, cooking, decorating and socializing. While it is an enjoyable time of year for many, extra demands are made of our time, energy and financial resources which can leave us feeling depleted. When we pause to restore balance to our body, mind and spirit, we are able to give abundantly to others without resentment. The following are suggestions to help you feel your best during this holiday season.

1. Limit the holiday goodies. Avoid or reduce simple carbohydrates such as white flour breads, cookies, candy and sugar that can cause mood swings and fatigue. If you find that you are unable to resist sweets, see a holistic practitioner which can investigate the possibility of Candida Albicans, hormone deficiencies or food addictions through lab tests or applied kinesiology.

2. Exercise for a healthier mind, body and stress reduction. If you are medically cleared, plan to do at least 30 minutes of exercise daily.

3. Get adequate sleep each night. If you are sleep deprived, mood swings can easily set in. With holiday preparations, you may feel the urge to work past your usual bedtime. Resist this urge. Get enough sleep and enjoy your family and friends. Note: studies have shown that sleep deprivation is linked with weight gain.

4. Supplement your diet with Vitamin D3. D3 has been found to enhance mood in healthy people during the winter. This is particularly important for residents of Michigan as our winter days are often cloudy without much exposure to direct sunlight. In other studies, D3 was also shown to reduce carbohydrate cravings and the excessive desire to sleep in the winter. Other nutritional supplements should be recommended by a qualified practitioner.

5. Pray daily and connect with God. Take time to celebrate life and give gratitude to God for all things big and small! Appreciating blessings puts the small hassles of life into perspective. Gratitude to God gives us joy and peace. Staying connected to God gives us strength to fulfill our life purpose.

6. Avoid debt. Set a realistic budget for holiday spending and stick to it. Post-holiday credit card debt can fuel anxiety and depression. Make connection, not commerce your goal this season. If you have difficulty controlling your spending, consider a practitioner who can use Emotional Freedom Technique to clear negative emotions associated with money, debt and over-spending.

7. Volunteer. Consider joining a charity work organization. Giving your talent & services to others in need will be as much a blessing to you as it is to them.

8. Avoid, reduce alcohol. While holiday social drinking creates temporary euphoria, alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system. Excessive alcohol consumption creates mood swings, fatigue, weight gain, skin disorders, liver impairment to name a few. If you are drinking excessively, an Emotional Freedom Technique practitioner can help you release negative emotions underlying the urge to drink. A naturopath or holistic practitioner can recommend a nutritional and detoxification program to repair the body and restore function.

9. Keep holiday plans simple and realistic. Communicate needs and expectations. Share chores. Ask for help. Offer to help. Understand that others may be grieving or lonely.

10. Be flexible. Fond memories are recalled by holiday rituals for many people. This is often why they are treasured, such as a pie or casserole recipe. However, there may be holidays in which the family rituals should be changed or temporarily dropped if there is a recent death in the family or divorce. Last year, my beloved father-in-law died suddenly a week before Christmas. We minimized the Christmas decorations and, for a drastic change, we had Chinese food for Christmas dinner. We were able to enjoy our time together that Christmas day, without triggering memories of Christmas past. It was a few hours of grief reprieve. Flexibility was needed and appreciated by all.

11. Resolve inner emotional conflicts. For some people family holiday gatherings bring old conflicts to the emotional surface. Traumatic memories, disappointments, shame, anger and anxiety can be more intense during the holidays. If you find these emotions are decreasing your energy and joy in life or you suspect that they may be behind a physical illness, seek a skilled, intuitive Emotional Freedom Technique practitioner which can help you release negative emotions energetically and provide counseling.

Using the above strategies will help you stay in balance and enjoy this holiday season.