Costa Women Blogs

Adopting an animal in Andalusia What to do, what’s needed and how it is working. Read our story adopting Rocky \ud83d\udc36 from APARIV – Asociación Protectora de Animales del Rincón de la Victoria – a highly recommended shelter with loving and caring volunteers. Please feel free to share, comment and like \ud83d\udc4d thank you. https://www.andalucia-mi-amor.com/post/apopting-an-animal-in-andalusia 

So this week I was in charge of writing the newsletter and decided to write 10 tips for investing in Real Estate, read on for more:   Leave your emotions at the door.  When it comes to buying your dream home then obviously what your personal preference is must be taken into account.  However, when it is for investment purposes what you personally like may not be what could make you the most money.  You should listen to your Realtor on what the trend is at the moment and what makes a good investment.  Decide what your purpose is.  For example if you want to buy something that people would want to rent for holidays then that would be a different property compared to a purchase for something that people would rent long term for living in.  If a family is living in it for a long time then proximity to schools may be important.  However, for holiday makers then what would be more important would be if it the property had a pool or it was close to restaurants or the beach.  Have a budget in mind for any work that may need doing and a time frame for how long it will take to complete the work.  Then accommodate for both to be broken!  When you start work you never know what other jobs may come up or a certain job may be more complicated than it first looked, which means you may go over your budget and time frame. Talk to your agent about any upcoming areas.  Perhaps a certain area is on the rise in popularity and you may get a good deal before prices start to rise.  Consider buying off-plan.  Although you have longer to wait before it is ready, by buying before it has been built you can buy it at a discounted price and that way already make money by selling it as soon as it is ready when the price will have already gone up.  When buying a property that needs some work doing, don’t overspend more than is necessary as you could end up only breaking even when selling or even lose money.  Your Realtor will be able to help you decide what must be done to make a good profit and what would be a waste of money. Ask others for advice but don’t let them sway you into doing something that could be purely to benefit themselves.  For example someone who is a stockbroker may try to sway you into buying shares because they don’t make money from you buying Real Estate but they do if they can get you to buy shares. Try to find people who have invested in Real Estate and get their opinions. Don’t be surprised if you make a loss.  As with any business venture nothing is guaranteed.  You may be able to make good money investing in Real Estate but that doesn’t mean that along the way you wont suffer any loss.  No one can predict the future or how the market sways.  Just like in a store they may have that one item that is constantly getting returned and is just left taking up space in the warehouse.  Or a car manufacturer who has to recall a certain model of car at their own cost to correct something that could put the safety of their customers at risk.  Remember the loss you make on one deal you may make back double on the next one.   Do your research when using companies.  There are companies where their customer service is important and will go above and beyond for you.  There are some that are only interested in making quick money and once they have your money they do not provide any further help and where the customer service is none existent.  If you choose a good Realtor then they will have a great network where they can recommend further business’s you may need.  They can point you in the direction of good lawyers, interior designers, mortgage brokers, painters and anyone else you may need.  When choosing a Realtor see if they have any reviews, listen to what other people say.  Don’t be afraid to ask them questions to find out how experienced and professional they are.  Make sure they are very clear with you about their procedures and don’t be afraid to walk away if something seems like it could be a scam or that they are not experienced enough to help you find exactly what you are looking for.  Lastly know your market.  When you have found a good Realtor tell them to keep you informed and let you know when a property is a good price and when you should buy.  Or when is a good time to sell your properties to make a profit. Another tip for when you have your property/properties.  If you are renting, every time a tenant leaves ask them if they notice anything that isn’t working.  That way you can fix them before it becomes a bigger costlier problem.  If you want to see the full newsletter and be able to subscribe so you don´t miss out on future newsletters click here and click subscribe in the top left corner.  Have a great weekend everyone! https://southspainproperties.com/    

This week we meet Malaga expert and 30+ year resident of Spain, Joanna Styles.  Joanna shares where she will be escaping to over the summer and how to find secret haunts in Spain.   How did you end up moving to Spain? I had a very inspirational Spanish A level teacher who ignited my passion for Spain. In my year out at uni I travelled by train from Malaga to Granada, saw orange trees and snow-capped mountains and fell in love with Andalucía.  I’ve been here for 31 years. I finished my PGCE at York University and came to Granada to teach English. My husband was one of the pupils and the rest as they say is history. My husband is from Malaga and he set up his business in Fuengirola so we lived in Calahonda   Where do you live and why should we move there? Malaga – it is a welcoming city, urban vibe but relaxed too, ton of things to do.  My suggestions to find secret places is to aways stroll off the beaten track. Explore all the parks and gardens – lots of shady spots in peace and quiet there. Pop into the different spaces off the Pergola…   What are you favourite parts of the City? My favourite art gallery is CAC Malaga because it’s weird and wonderful and free so if you think ‘what is this???’ you can walk back out again! All art museums are excellent obviously depends on your taste. Restaurants – loads of favourites. Views – El Ambigu de la Coracha, tapas – Taberna Uvedoble, fab food – Óleo, Araboka, La Antxoeta…   How do you spend your days? Writing – very busy luckily at the moment. Creating content for Guide to Malaga, answering queries about travelling to Malaga and marketing our new range of ebooks.  Malaga is my passion.  I run as much as I can. Read avidly – I love reading – contemporary novels mostly.    Do you have any tips for new arrivals in Spain? Always come with the view to trying it out so have an ‘escape route’ if you need it. Ie rent before you buy, let your home in your home country rather than sell. And give yourself lots of time. Spain is a fantastic place to live but it isn’t without its ups and downs. Make learning Spanish your absolute priority. Everything will be easier if you do. And of course, get a copy of the Guide to Malaga relocation guide!    Best piece of advice you have been given? Work hard but party just as hard too. My grandfather, he was a top civil servant (instrumental in setting up the NHS) and he always regretted the time he had spent on work rather than family.   Where will you be visiting in Spain? We’ll be revisiting Cabo de Gata again and of course, Bolonia beach in Tarifa. We’ve also booked to go to London in August to see my daughters and enjoy the city.    How can we connect with you? As well as being host for our Costa Women Malaga group, I have Guide to Malaga and create content for businesses through my copywriting website.  You can buy Your Guide to Moving to Malaga & the Costa del Sol here – Costa Women members get 25% off – just use the code CW at the checkout.      Thank you Joanna!   Do you want to share YOUR story with us? Fill out the questionnaire here

Weight loss is the most common reason why people try intermittent fasting. By making you eat fewer meals, periodic fasting can lead to an automatic reduction in calorie intake. In addition, intermittent fasting hormone levels change and this makes it easier to achieve weight loss. In addition to lowering insulin and increasing growth hormone levels, it increases the release of the fat-burning hormone noradrenaline (noradrenaline). Due to these changes in hormones, short-term fasting can increase your metabolism by 3.6-14% By helping you eat less and burn more calories, intermittent fasting creates weight loss by changing both sides of the calorie equation. Studies show that periodic fasting can be a very powerful weight loss tool. A 2014 study showed that this eating pattern can cause 3-8% weight loss in 3-24 weeks, which is a significant amount compared to most weight loss studies According to the same study, people also lost 4-7% of their waist circumference, indicating a significant loss of harmful belly fat that builds up around your organs and causes disease (1). Another study showed that intermittent fasting causes less muscle loss than that of regular calorie-restricted diets. Keep in mind, though, that the main reason for its success is that intermittent fasting helps you eat fewer calories in general. Therefore, you should also pay attention to portion sizes when eating. Intermittent fasting can increase your metabolism while helping you eat fewer calories. It is a very effective way to lose weight and belly fat. Health benefitsMany studies of intermittent fasting in both animals and humans have been performed. These studies have shown that it can have powerful benefits for weight control and health for your body and brain. It can even help you live longer. Here are the main health benefits of intermittent fasting: Weight Loss: As mentioned above, intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and belly fat without consciously limiting the calories Insulin resistance: Intermittent fasting can reduce insulin resistance, lower blood sugar by 3-6% and fasting insulin levels by 20-31%, which should protect against type 2 diabetes Inflammation: Some studies show reductions in markers of inflammation, which is a factor in many chronic diseases Heart health: Intermittent fasting can reduce the “bad” LDL cholesterol, triglycerides in the blood, inflammatory markers, blood sugar and insulin resistance – all risk factors for heart disease Cancer: Animal experiments suggest that intermittent fasting may have a preventive effect against cancer Brain health: Intermittent fasting increases the brain hormone BDNF and can help the growth of new nerve cells. It can also protect against Alzheimer’s disease Anti-aging: Intermittent fasting can prolong the life of rats. Studies showed that fasting rats lived 36-83% longer Remember that research is still in its early stages. Intermittent fasting can have many benefits for your body and brain. It can cause weight loss and can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It can also help you live longer. Make your healthy lifestyle easier Eating healthy is simple, but it can be incredibly difficult to maintain. One of the biggest obstacles is all the work required to plan and prepare healthy meals. Intermittent fasting can make things easier as you do not have to plan, cook or clean up after as many meals as before. For this reason, intermittent fasting is very popular among biohackers and also if you just want to enjoy life and the healthy lifestyle. As it improves your health and at the same time simplifies your life at the same time. One of the biggest benefits of intermittent fasting is that it makes healthy eating easier. There are fewer meals you need to prepare, cook and clean up after. Who should be careful or avoid Intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting is certainly not for everyone. If you are underweight or have a history of eating disorders, in these cases it can be directly harmful. Should women fast? Yes intermittent fasting can be beneficial for women, especially omrking menopause but strict fasting is not good for women Safety and side effects Hunger is the most important side effect of intermittent fasting. You may also feel weak and you may get a little “foggy brain” while often thinking about food. This is completely natural and temporary. Most people experience that it has been 3-5 days, but after this you start to feel all the benefits of fasting. If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before trying intermittent fasting. All in all, periodic fasting has a unique opportunity to do something good for your body. There is nothing dangerous about not eating for a while if you are generally healthy. Frequently Asked Questions about Intermittent fasting:Here are answers to the most common questions about intermittent fasting. 1.What drinks can I drink on Intermittent fasting? Water, coffee, tea and other calorie free drinks are fine. Do not add sugar to your coffee. Small amounts of milk or cream may be okay. Coffee can be especially beneficial in a fast period as it can dull hunger. 2. Is it not unhealthy to skip breakfast? No. If you make sure to eat healthy food the rest of the day, it is perfectly healthy. This is part of fasting Can I take supplements while fasting? Yes. Keep in mind, however, that some supplements like fat-soluble vitamins may work better when taken with meals. 4. Can I train while on Intermittent fasting? Yes, fasting is fine. Some people I recommend taking BCAAs before training as this provides some energy. But the training in my program is adapted to your fast and can be performed after a meal “ 5. Will fasting cause muscle loss? All weight loss methods can cause muscle loss, which is why it is important to lift weights and keep your protein intake high. One study showed that intermittent fasting causes less muscle loss than regular calorie restriction. That is why this fast is so suitable Will fasting slow down my metabolism? No. Studies show that short-term fasting actually increases metabolism. Are you interested in hearing more? Then sign up for the list below where you will receive more info about intermittent fasting Sign up here: https://livingbyfrost.simplero.com/page/210342-list-signup Read more about the gene expression DNA-Health test: https://www.livingbyfrost.com/?page_id=939

How are you doing? I have just been listening to Abraham Hicks about ‘segment intending’        You can use this process of resetting and re-focusing any time you shift from one activity to another during your day.   Split your day into the different segments, activities you do during the day, and decide how you want those to work FOR you rather than TO you.   “To start, let’s imagine it’s the morning. Ideally, you’ve already developed a morning routine and hopefully you have included a few of your main intentions for the day. As you begin to start your day, you have a number of different tasks or activities you could choose from. When you do not segment intend, these options might seem overwhelming, but instead you can choose to focus on only one task at a time. Simply deciding on the action you want to take is an important part of segment intending.   Then, once you decide, you can increase the power of your actions by closing your eyes for a few seconds and imagining yourself working through whatever task lies ahead of you. This will help you to pre-pave the action itself, so it will feel more effortless and will have more impact.   Now, imagine that this action has to do with your work, and after an hour or two, a project deadline is looming, and something isn’t going as plan. Maybe you got distracted or pulled off task in order to deal with some other emergency that cropped up.   Once you notice that this has happened – once you notice your energy has lowered – you can re-set and reshape your energy.   So, you can use segment intending to reorient yourself and get back on track. Maybe you are re-setting to get back to your original task, or maybe you’re shifting from working on a task by yourself to going into a meeting. Either way, you can take a moment to re-align your energy.   As you go through your day, you can train yourself to segment intend every time you shift tasks or actions.”

We meet Emma Hillman who moved to Spain for the quality of life and found so much more! “We keep ourselves stuck, the bird cage door has always been open you just have to let yourself out – be the Eagle of your own life.” says Emma   Why Spain? My family and I chose to move to Spain once my father retired because we knew the lifestyle would be better and healthier for everyone, especially my young children growing up.   Where are you based and why should we move there too? Mijas a beautifully scenic area with many things to do such as visiting the mountain village, going horse riding, going on buggy safari, then there are the footpaths and walking trails. It’s also a short drive to the beach and the local community are generally just very welcoming and friendly. There is also a lot of things for children to get up to out here. The local Spanish school have welcomed my daughters openly and they have made fast friendships while they also learn the Spanish language.   What has been your biggest challenge? Learning all of the new registration regulations such as getting an NIE, residency, Pádron and Spanish driving license all of which was helped by our friend from the brexpat community. We also had to sort out social security which made us realise just how valuable the NHS back in the UK really is. But we have overcome these challenges by listening and following the steps on what has been required from us and now we are all fully registered with social security. It certainly helps if you can get someone who speaks both your native tongue and Spanish and who knows the law out here so it’s worth investing in a good lawyer out here as well.   How do you spend your days? I love Creative writing and coaching. Even though I’m a full time stay at home mum I still make sure I have time to do the things I love which inadvertently helps other people such as with my life coach skills. Predominantly I help traumatised people overcome their trauma through my learned capabilities as coach and NLP practitioner.   Something you are grateful for? I am very grateful to have my beautiful children after an intense battle through infertility.   Who would you invite for dinner? I would have my grandparents and great grandparents over as well as influential women such as Amelia Earhart and Marie Curie. I’d want to know how they survived life when faces with intense challenges and how it felt to be influential women at a time when there was still a big equality divide among men and women. We would eat modern food so that people from the past could experience how much flavour and style on our plates would change through the ages. I would also have Judy Garland over simply because her quote is my favourite “never be a second rate version of someone else always be a first rate version of yourself.”   Your secret weapon? My secret weapon is my keyboard and love of writing. I have a few books due to be published very soon. Ones a true story and the other is a fictional one. Watch the interview with Emma about her part in ‘HOW TO FIND YOUR SELF’ book, which will be launched in July. In the book Emma shares her story of how she not only survived sexual abuse but also managed to bring her abuser to justice – a topic we hear much about today, but where success is mentioned in only a couple of cases.     Favourite quote? “Never feel like you have to be with anyone to feel good about yourself.” My grandmother.   One thing you had to bring to Spain and would never give away? My health and my time.  Without my health I have nothing and time is the most valuable currency I own.   Favourite book and song and why? The Store by James Patterson because it’s a very modern realistic updated version of George Orwell’s 1984 and does give the reader a lot of food for thought. My favourite song is ‘From this moment’ by Shania Twain as this is the song I walked down the aisle to on my wedding day.   Something you would tell your younger self Be brave, however much this hurts now believe it or not this experience will be shared by you and will become your super power in years to come that is going to help a lot more people.   Where can we connect with you? You can also find me on Facebook on the page ‘Eagle Dreams Forever’   Thank you Emma!   Do you want to share your story?  Complete the online questionnaire here