Image: Spaweek.com

Everyday we work hard to pay our bills, put food on our tables and accomplish the goals that we’ve set for ourselves. This is one of the main reasons why I feel that Everyone deserves a little bit of luxury”. Every once in a while we need to reward ourselves for the hard work and sacrifices that we make on a day to day basis. So whether you treat yourself to an expensive (but worthy) makeup bag, a new makeup palette or a Chanel tote – I say hey you are truly worth it. Why work hard if you cannot reap the rewards? Treating yourself well is not just about the material luxuries of life but also taking care of your bodies. If you do not take care of yourself how can you take care of the kids, your hubby, your wife or even your goldfish?

I frequently get manicures, make trips to the salon and get facials whenever I can. Sure sometimes these treatments can be expensive and may not always fit into your budget, after all these are tough economic times. Well ladies (and gents) this is where Spa Week comes it. Spa Week is the glorious week of April 12-18, 2010 where you can get $50 spa treatments at approximately 800 spas throughout the US (and Canada) including (but not limited to) New York, Virginia, Florida, California, Nevada, New Jersey and several other states. Ladies you can treat yourself to everything from Botox to ear candling to laser hair removal to vajazzing. I was quite happily surprised at the extensive list of participating spas and services available. I plan on partaking in a 60 minute hot stone massage since I’m always in need of some relaxation after a long day at work. A trip to the spa is not just a luxury as there are many healthful benefits such as stress relief, detox and healthy skin (depending on the treatment). When you feel good you look good and this is important to your overall mental well being. When a person takes care of themselves it helps to improve their body image and their self esteem. So take a moment or an hour out of your busy life to do something fabulous for yourself, you deserve it.

To check out the participating spas go to http://www.spaweek.com/ and then book your appointment.

Over the past year and I half, I have been on a personal quest to improve my health and fitness levels. And during that time I have learned a lot, lost weight, gained more muscle tone, ate better and overall improved how I felt. I adopted a new philosophy about really taking excellent care of myself. I feel that we as a culture spend lots of time on making sure our outfit is designer and that our hair looks good. We spend time feeding our souls through spirituality. We have time to learn and nurture our minds. We have time for friends and partying and going to the club. But somehow we just never have the time to eat right or exercise. Why is that? Well I decided to “quit the excuses” and really put forth an effort to improve myself on the inside and out. I began reading and doing research to find out how to eat healthier. I went to anyone physically fit that I saw and asked them what they did to stay fit. I’m constantly researching and learning and finding that it’s not as hard as it seems to stay fit. One important factor in fitness is drinking water and staying properly hydrated.

Water makes up more than two thirds of the weight of the human body, and without it, humans would die in a few days. The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82% and lungs 90%. A mere 2% drop in our body’s water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen. (Are you having trouble reading this? Drink up!) Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. An estimated seventy-five percent of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration. That’s a pretty scary statistic for a developed country, where water is readily available through the tap or bottle.

Water is important to the mechanics of the human body. The body cannot work without it, just as a car cannot run without gas and oil. In fact, all the cell and organ functions made up in our entire anatomy and physiology depend on water for their functioning.

* Water serves as a lubricant

* Water forms the base for saliva

* Water forms the fluids that surround the joints.

* Water regulates the body temperature, as the cooling and heating is distributed through perspiration.

* Water helps to alleviate constipation by moving food through the intestinal tract and thereby eliminating waste- the best detox agent.

* Water regulates metabolism In addition to the daily maintenance of our bodies, water also plays a key role in the prevention of disease. Drinking eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50% and it can potentially even reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Those are just a few examples, So drink up!

• Lap pool
• Jacuzzi
• Sauna
• Steam Room
• Juice Bar
• Cafe
• Full-service spa
• Complimentary Kiehls products
• Complimentary towel service
• Eucalyptus towels