Interior Design Tips

Interior design is my passion. Although I'm not a professional designer, I've been helping out many friends with their homes and of course have been designing our previous and current house. 

Unlocking the true beauty of your home and adding style to each and every room is not always easy. Staying up with current interior design trends can be a bit of a pain, but there are some tips that can really help you out. If you want your home to look effortlessly stylish in a way that looks cohesive, you have to add décor that makes sense. You don’t have to be a professional interior designer to have a home that looks inviting and turns heads.

Here are the best interior design tips that you have to follow:

Focus on One Style

Although you do not want each and every room of your home to look exactly the same, you do want all the rooms to complement each other. This means that from the very beginning, it is critical that you choose a style inspiration. This can be modern, Asian or any other style trend that you can think of. It is a good idea to keep the space in mind when you are choosing the right style. Be careful to determine the goal of your design. Are you looking to make a tight space seem extended or are you trying to add coziness to a large open space? Just be sure to evaluate each room before you choose a specific style or look that you are shooting for.

Focal Point

Another interior design tip that can be incredibly helpful involves selecting a decor item or furniture piece that is the focal point. You need to choose a point of convergence in each room that not only adds visual appeal, but also is the one item that everything else rotates around. In essence you are choosing one style trend that highlights the entire room and stands out. Only having one focal point in each room is key, because you do not want your style to become too jumbled or overpowering.

Colors are Essential

Nothing can be more transformative to the overall design and style of your home than the colors that you choose. You have to be careful to not only choose the right colors for your walls, but also for your furniture. Make sure that you have a shade plan in place before you begin purchasing décor items. Neutrals can always be a safe option for your walls and you can add pops of color to liven the space with ease. Shades that are too diverse can create a style that simply does not work. Make sure that you choose colors that work well together.

Add Texture

If you really want to take your style up a notch, you can add some textures to your home. This means that you can install tiled backsplash on your counters to add a new dimension of style or even opt for wood flooring in your dining area. Adding different surfaces to different rooms in your home creates a slightly different look that helps you achieve diverse style. Always remember that all of your design choices should be more timeless than trendy.

If you would like to read the 101 of interior design then check out this site or find more tips here.

Motorcycle Road Trip

Essentials You Should Know While Planning A Motorcycle Road Trip

Although it's getting colder and winter has started, thinking of riding my motorcycle always makes me happy! Together with some friends we're planning to do at least two road trips every year. It doesn't matter whether those are short trips of a long weekend or a whole week. Every trip two friends plan the whole trip, roads to take, motels (or even camping). Next year it's my turn again!

Almost every biker has at least one experience of a road trip in a lifetime. Some people are extremely enthusiastic about road trips and may indulge in one every month. There are phases in life when one has a penchant for road trips, especially with friends and later with family. A road trip in a car or on a bike, hiking trails or a large group traveling in a Volvo bus can be a thrilling adventure. 

While there are many things to consider while planning to hit the road, there are some essentials which you should know. Some of these essentials that are shared here happen to be very obvious and you possibly know them already but they deserve a mention nonetheless.

• The first essential in a road trip is a motorcycle of course. That is the most obvious element but what has to be borne in mind is the type of bike you would travel with. The motorcycle that you own may or may not be ideal for a road trip. Depending on where you are going and the route you are taking, you will need an ideal bike. If you don’t own a proper touring motorcycle or any motorcycle which can be used for the road trip, you can hire one. Depending on the motorcycle you’ll choose, this can be rather expensive. If you use your own motorcycle, make sure that it’s mechanically and technologically equipped to be considered suitable for the route. You cannot embark on a tough or demanding terrain with a compact motorbike. If you’re planning to travel through the desserts, make sure your motorcycle is large enough to carry everything you might need. At the same time, if you are traveling from one town to another, then it is futile to hire a high specs touring motorcycle because any motorcycle can do the trick. You should pick the ideal motorcycle for your road trip.
• When you decide on the people traveling with you, an attempt should be made to have as many pro drivers as possible. If everyone can drive, then it is the best scenario. But there should at least one spare driver if not more. Having one driver for each motorcycle is the worst decision you can make. If somebody gets sick or can’t drive himself anymore, having a spare driver would save a lot of hassles.
• The route picked for a road trip should always be convenient. The element of convenience doesn’t have to do with the quality of the drive entirely but with the facilities you would get on the route. For instance, the same destination may have two distinctly different routes, one offering motels that are affordable and eateries which may not offer you much option while another may offer you expensive hotels and plenty of restaurants which would be expensive but would also cost you a lot. Hence, you need to choose that is convenient for you in many ways. Looking for some tips of motorcycle routes: check these out.
• You should travel with all necessary stocks. Everything you need should be available in excess. You never know what you may need. From food to drinks, first aid to other essential items, everything must be abundant. Find an useful packaging list here.
• Finally, you should have an itinerary and a destination. Without a destination, the adventure would not be half as enjoyable or satiating and without a schedule, your days may go haywire. Make sure you all agree to the route before starting the road trip. Plan ahead and upload the route in the navigation unit so you can’t get lost.

So next year I'll be organizing the road trip and I'll write a post about where we're heading to. I've got some ideas already but I won't tell yet ;) Riding my motorcycle with my friends certainly belong to the best days of my life!

Healthy Nutritious Foods for Sporters

Our whole family sports a lot! That involves team sports, boxing, running and more. We know that eating healthy nutritious food is very important. Of course we eat some fries once in a while but mostly we eat healthy food. It tastes better and you have more energy. Energy we can use again for our sports!

As an athlete, the foods that you choose to put in your body matter. If you want to stay in top condition and give your body the fuel that it needs, you need to be careful with the foods that you choose. Some foods are simply more nutritious than others. There are plenty of foods that sporters should keep stocked in their refrigerators and pantries. The right meal can be the difference between performing at a high level in the sport of your choice or being less than your best. It is no secret why you don’t load up on a meal of pasta and bread before you head to the track and get in some laps.

Here are some of the most nutritious foods that athletes can use to give them a much needed edge:

Oatmeal

If you want to indulge in the breakfast of champions, you might want to start your day with a big bowl of oatmeal and yogurt. An oatmeal/yogurt breakfast is packed with fiber and protein, which provides your body with the fuel that it craves. If you want to have sustained energy that gets you through your workout, this is the type of food that you need to eat first thing in the morning. Not only is it a good source of Vitamin B, but it also is jam packed with antioxidants (more here). Eating oatmeal has even been proven to help your regulate cholesterol levels within your body. This is a must-have food item on any athlete’s grocery list.

Cherries

Fruits are great for sporters, but some are better than others. If you are an athlete that needs endurance, cherries should be the food of choice for you. This fruit is filled with antioxidants that give you access to many different health benefits. Not only is it a food that will help you perform better, but it will also aid with recovery. Research shows that eating cherries can be especially beneficial for runners (see here). Runners that consumed cherries 2 times a day for at least a week were much less likely to experience muscle pain during training than those that did not. A cherry a day might keep you up off the ground and from writhing around in pain.

Kale

It seems like many athletes are joining in on the latest health craze involving kale. Kale is a food that is a lot like cabbage, but it contains high amounts of vitamin A, K, B and also calcium. This vegetable is said to be especially helpful with reducing inflammation in the body. You know that staying active can put stress on different parts of your body, but eating kale can help aid with recovery. Much like oatmeal, kale is also known to help lower cholesterol levels. 

Milk

Milk does a body good and this is true for athletes as well. There are a wide variety of milk products on the market including soy and almond that offer wide ranging health benefits to sporters, but traditional milk and yogurt also does the trick.

Looking For A Chiropractor? Check Out These Hot Tips!

It seems like as we get older the first thing to go out on us is our back. Although anyone at any age can have back related issues, the older you get the worse it feels. Don't let back pain bother you anymore. Take the advice given below to help yourself feel good again.

If you have problems with your back, it is never a good idea to sleep while lying on your stomach. Even if this is a comfortable position for you, it can result in damage to the vertebrae. This is because there is no spinal support when lying in that position.

If you are visiting a chiropractor regularly, track your progress over the first five sessions. If you aren't seeing any improvement at all after just these first few visits, you are probably wasting your time. Look for another caregiver and then give them a try of at least three sessions.

Try exercising on a regular basis if you are having problems with your back. Being lazy will only make the issue worse than it already is. While you want to increase your level of physical activity, refrain from things that may result in too much strain being put on that area.

Many types of health issues can be helped by chiropractic care. Since most nerves and muscles of the body originate in the spine, misalignment of the spine can result in various pains and health issues throughout the body. Chiropractic adjustments can be very helpful in any pain related to nerves or muscles.

Ask you doctor to recommend a good chiropractor. Even if a referral is not required in order to get chiropractic services, they may know someone that is worth the time and money.

Don't get frustrated if the pain returns after a few days. You'll usually get a chiropractic surge of energy following an adjustment. Your body will feel great! But that may wear off after a few days. This is why multiple treatments are often needed to get your body back in the shape it needs to be. Over time, your body will feel better and better.

When choosing a chiropractor, avoid chiropractors who regularly order or perform x-ray exams of their patients. Most patients who see a chiropractor do not need these x-rays. Be particularly wary of x-ray examinations of the whole spine. The diagnostic value of this practice is doubtful and it also involves a great amount of radiation.

When it comes to getting quality chiropractic care, it really does pay to solicit personal recommendations from those you trust. Talking to people who have undergone treatment with a given practitioner can give you the direct insight you need. Making sure to take this step will help you avoid low-quality care providers and get the type of treatment you desire.

Now that you read the above article, you see many things that can help take away your nagging back pain. It is important that you keep a good chiropractic care routine going, because back pain can flare up at anytime. The best thing to do is follow the advice given here, and soon you will start to feel better.