24 Saturday, May 19, 2012 www.meathchronicle.ie tHE MEatH CHrONICLE

living

Health&StyleWith summer almost in sight and holi-days being planned, it is probably a good time to talk tummies.

Whether you are post-baby (just like me) or you are feeling like a flat stomach won’t happen in this lifetime, fear not, as with some yoga effort it is more pos-sible than you think.

You will learn to access your deepest muscles beyond the boot camp-style ‘sit-ups’ that are taught by fitness junk-ies. Understanding, patience and slow movements using the power of the breath are the key ingredients to physi-cal results.

to achieve a toned and healthy mid-section, including the organs of this area, you need to work with a yoga teacher who understands the yoga ‘kryias’ and postures. the ‘core’ in-cludes more than just the abdominal muscles.

Most exercises or sit-ups that claim to target this area can actually tighten the muscles, create tension, push the belly out and even cause back pain. incorrect use of breath, coupled with fast move-ments or the latest abs device on the market can cause more harm than good.

A sore stomach after a frantic abs

workout can mislead a person to think they can have a washboard core.

At the very centre of the core lies the psoas muscle. With correct guidance, a toned tummy can be achieved while taming a tight psoas, which can often be overworked during exercise, failing to yield results.

in other words, the psoas needs to be worked efficiently to reap results. A tight psoas is powerless.

the key is to release and lengthen this deep muscle and through yoga asana, or postures, can be done quite effectively, especially in a flowing yoga class like

ashtanga or vinyasa. Forward bends and twists work the

abdominal muscles. Arm balances and any other pose that requires using the mid-section to lift the weight of the en-tire body off the ground is using the core to its fullest and deepest level. this is not achieved through power sit-ups.

if interested in taking your yoga prac-tice further, talk to your experienced yoga teacher about incorporating the ‘yoga kriyas’ into your daily routine.

Practising on an empty stomach first thing in the morning can have a pro-found effect, not only on the surface

area but deep beneath, travelling all the way to the organs.

“if the psoas is like a river flowing through the core, the transverse ab-dominis forms the sturdy riverbanks.” (the Yoga Journal May 2011).

if you are a sit-up junkie, a pot belly and poor posture is a sure sign you are doing more harm than good. it is imper-ative that these areas work in harmony for lifetime results.

Claire Maguire teaches ashtanga and pregnancy yoga at her yoga school in Ashbourne. See www.yoga-meath.ie

Abs for life

Ashbourne yoga practitioner Claire Maguire on ‘sit-ups’ and going deep to the core

Dr Joanne o’riorDan

Do you look in the mirror and feel that the lines around your eyes, on your forehead, seem to get more noticeable every day?

Every day, we use our facial muscles to smile, frown or squint. over time, these repetitive movements cause lines and wrinkles on our faces, usually under and around the eyes, between the eyebrows, on the forehead, around the lips, and the unattractive deep furrow between the nose and mouth. there are two main types of anti-wrinkle injections, namely muscle relaxants and dermal fillers.

Muscle relaxantsBotox injections are used to smooth

out the appearance of wrinkles, frown lines, forehead furrows and crows feet by relaxing the facial muscles. it can be used to smooth existing lines or as a preventa-tive measure to prevent the development of lines. the procedure takes less than 20 minutes. A tiny amount of botox is injected into the site being treated and it works by blocking transmission to the muscle underneath the skin. the muscle relaxes and, at the same time, the facial lines formed by the action of the muscle will be diminished. the procedure is mini-mally invasive and only mildly uncomfort-able. After the procedure, there may be some redness in the treated areas but this is usually minimal. Patients can leave the clinic a few minutes after the procedure; it is possible to return to work the same day and resume normal activities within four hours. the treatment starts to work within three to five days.

Dermal fillersDermal fillers are especially useful to lift

out folds, such as those that can run from nose to mouth, or those bothersome lines that can form around the lips. Medium to deep wrinkles can be significantly re-duced and the skin can look smoother and more youthful. As for lips - it is possible to softly plump upper and lower lips, creat-ing fuller, more sensual lips, making you look years younger! typically, the results can last six months to one year, depending on the type of dermal filler chosen. Prior to anti-wrinkle treatment, a careful and in-depth assessment needs to be carried out to ensure maximum safety and results.

• Balance Medi-Spa, Johnstown, Navan, will hold an Anti-Wrinkle Injectable Clinic on Tuesday 22nd May to help people look 10 years younger. Free consul-tation and treatment on the day. Tel (046) 906 0333 for a free consultation.

Rejuvenate your skin

RAMonA Daly, Karen McBride, Gill Dodd, Deddie Rooney, Lynne and nicola tolster all transformed their lives by los-ing weight and are inviting oth-ers to do the same.

the women all joined their local Slimming World groups and have not looked back since. nicola joined her local Slimming World group in the UK in 1998 and lost 2½ stone in 10 months. After moving to ire-land, she struggled to maintain her weight loss and the pounds slowly crept back on.

Earlier this year, nicola dis-covered that Slimming World had arrived in the Republic of ireland and she didn’t hesi-tate to join her local group in navan run by Gill Dodd and the pounds melted away once more. nicola now has her own group at Simonstown GAA Club which she opened in october 2010. it takes place every tues-day night at 6pm and 8pm.

All the girls have now opened their own Slimming World groups and all agree that, when they joined Slimming World as members, they never dreamed that they would end up helping other people to lose weight.

Like lots of slimmers, they had all tried to lose weight so many times before but when they joined Slimming World it was different.

“it just doesn’t feel like a diet,” says Karen. “the eating plan encourages you to eat lots of filling foods like pasta, rice, potatoes and lean meat and fish. You are never hungry and no foods are banned so there’s no deprivation. i couldn’t believe i’d found a way to lose weight without starving myself.”

Ramona felt like she had tried everything she could to lose weight and was feeling so low when a friend told her about Slimming World. So she went along to hear what all the buzz was about. She couldn’t believe that, in her first week, she lost 5 and-a-half lbs and it didn’t stop there. Ramona went on to lose 5 and-a-half stone that year. She has been a Slimming World con-sultant in Slane for over a year now and loves helping people to lose weight.

Ramona is moving her group to Stackallen tennis Club on thursday 17th May and anybody who wants to know more about the group can come along.

Secrets of success

To AdverTISe oN MeATh ChroNICle

Health & Style contact Annette on 046 907 9659/annette@meathchronicle.ie

SliMMing

Meath All-Ireland medal winner Graham Geraghty (centre), who last Friday officially opened the new Bradley’s Pharmacy at the new Trim Primary Care Centre, which is part of the Knightsbridge Nursing Home, pictured with Orla Carroll, MPSI, and Bradley’s managing director, Brian Pagni. Bradley’s has 18 pharmacies across the Greater Dublin Area and in the north-east.

new pharmacy opens in Trim

STYle FileThe fashionista: helen Mcentee (25), parliamentary assistant. origi-nally from Castletown, Navan. living in dublin.

Wearing: Wrapdress, €30, Awear. Jacket, €50, h&M. Shoes, €8, dunnes. Necklace, John rocha, re-ceived as a present.

Dedicated follower of fashion or own style? I have my own style. I like to shop where I know the clothes will suit my style and shape.

Favourite high street shop?oasis.

Favourite label or designer?Mac and estee lauder for make-up. For clothes, AllSaints.

Favourite local shop?Blush in Navan. I’ve bought a couple of things from there.

Best bargain buy?There have been many.

Most extravagant buy?A belt that cost €150 in a dublin boutique to go with a dress for a wed-ding. It made the dress and that was the only reason I bought it. I still have it and will team it with something else again, I hope.

Monthly spend on clothes?Usually €50 to €100.

Last fashion buy?A turquoise dress in Zara that cost around €40 that I wore out last Saturday. It is a lovely colour for my summer holidays.

Last impulse buy?The turquoise dress in Zara.

Fashion faux-pas?Probably my Confirmation outfit!

Likes and dislikes in fashion at the moment?likes are pastels and soft colours. dislikes are clashing prints and col-ours used at the one time.

PEPLUM first made an appear-ance on the catwalks last au-tumn and has since appeared in all the high street stores and boutiques in the county.

While it won’t appeal to eve-ryone, the feminine silhouette, first made famous by Dior in the 1940’s, is fast becoming a must-have. the fit-and-flare style makes a bold statement whether it’s a skirt paired with a simple top, a dress that needs minimal accessorizing, or a top worn with jeans.

though pretty, this dress might be a bit daunting to wear but it is flattering for most fig-ures.

the style will work for women with boyish frames be-cause it can give the illusion of curves. A peplum top or dress is also fantastic for showing off a tiny waist. it can also hide a tummy, particularly when there is ruffle-detailing on the peplum.

For curvier figures the style works by making the waist the focal point and flaring over the hips creating an illusion of sym-metrical hips and shoulders.

By colour blocking you can minimise a larger bust by wear-ing a darker colour on the top of the peplum and a lighter colour under-neath.

Reverse this pattern to shrink a curvy bottom half.

if the peplum silhouette makes you shy, con-sider a dark monochro-matic style for a bold but safe look. ifyou’re not keen on the peplum pencil skirt shape then try team-ing a peplum top with a pair of skinny trou-sers or jeans.

Get waistedTrend alerT: PePluM

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4. Peplum dress €67.50 - simplybe.ie; 5. Peplum top, A|Wear; 6. Peplum top, River Island; 7. Printed peplum dress €68, Asos.com

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Want to know what I said to World boxing champion Steve Collins in the ring prior to his World Title Defence against Nigel Benn or learn to do the secret techniques I have used with Olympians and Pro-golfers, then this unique

workshop is for you!

Learn Self-Hypnosis and Advanced Imagery for SportBy Alan Heary BSc.

Dates: May 26th Venue: Trim

Time: 9am – 3pm

When you leave this workshop you will know:• What hypnosis and imagery is and is not• How to do self-hypnosis to improve your own performance• Why you are not always consistent and how you can change that• How to become more confident, focused and motivated• What the zone really is and how you can achieve it more often

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ATTENTION– Athletes, Golfers, Footballers, Fitness Enthusiasts,

Cyclists, triathletes and Coaches