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Work It!Tips To Get In Shape

Perfect Gifts For Your Guy

Developing A Personal Brand: Lessons from Oprah

Hi Readers,

Being the best at whatever it is that you do takes a lot more

work than talk, but the success of media maven Oprah

Winfrey, shows that the two can co-exist. Also, take a look

at our exercise tips that can help fight those pesky pounds,

especially since the Christmas season is fast approaching. All

of this and more in this week’s edition of Your Style eZine.

Live.Love.

Laugh a Lot.

Editor’s Note

Quote of The Week“We forfeit three-fourths of ourselves in order to

be like other people.”

-Arthur Schopenhauer

november 22,2010

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your style eZinewww.ezineslimited.com

n September 9, 2011 the show that gave birth to one of the largest and most influential brands ever in the

world will cease to exist. The Oprah Winfrey Show will end its quarter century run as the highest rated programme of its kind, having a reputation as a show that transformed itself from the typical daytime talk show to a master class in brand extension and brand sustainability. The producer, host, name-sake and well-known billionaire, Oprah Winfrey, has managed to keep herself and her brand in a favourable light, so much so that a sort of halo effect has developed around the media maven. It is as simple as this…what Oprah likes, sells.

There are some key things about Oprah’s rise to success that are not unique to the media mogul, but are hallmarks of suc-cess that can be replicated in almost any field or aspect of our daily lives. Talk show hosts are a dime a dozen in the United States, yet Oprah has survived where so many have failed. The first sign of the strength of Oprah’s brand comes from the fact that she is excellent at what she does. Oprah found her niche and she dominated it. A large part of the faith that is put in Oprah comes from the fact that she is obviously one of the best in her field, and people trust those who obviously know what they’re doing. The success of Oprah as a busi-nesswoman was directly dependent on the success of her television show, as such, you should develop your reputation by dominating your own niche, then see how your personal brand will develop around that.

When Oprah recommends an MP3 player in her yearly “Oprah’s Favourite Things” segment of the show, people dis-regard the fact that Oprah may not be the best authority on gadgets, and put their trust firmly in the hands of this lady; why is that? Well, it is mainly because of the trust that Oprah inspires in people and this kind of trust does not happen in-stantly. Oprah’s authenticity might be a lesson for marketers

and people on a whole; she is buoyed by her transparency and willingness to disclose things about herself to an audience far larger than any of us would ever have the chance to reach. How many people on TV would be so candid about weight loss (or weight gain for that matter), or her rather not-so-petite shoes size of 10 and a half ? This apparent honesty and consistency in her ability to open up is more than likely a facet of her personality, but it is crucial that we realize the impor-tance of being straightforward and consistent in what we of-fer to the people around us. In the same way that we expect a certain amount of disclosure from the brands we know and love, we can do the same with our personal brands.

One thing that Oprah has never been afraid to do is try new things. Her brand extension is second to none, and this is by far one of the most valuable lessons that her brand can teach us. If we have a positive influence then we should use it. Oprah’s “O” magazine, her spinoff television shows, her books and even the movies that she’s produced, are all ex-amples of the kind of calculated fearlessness that Oprah has displayed in choosing her next business opportunities. In every aspect of your personal brand development, always seek to expand but be mindful to take on projects that can be linked to your area of expertise in some way or another. This will ensure that your reputation can extend to these new projects. Oprah Winfrey has been a role model for as long as many of us can remember, but her brand success holds some very valuable lessons in the development of our own personal brands.

career

Developing A personAl BrAnDLessons from Oprah

O

One thing that Oprah has never been afraid to do is try new things. Her brand extension is second to none, and this is by far one of the most valuable lessons that her brand can teach us.

Tips To geT in shApeWork It!!

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fitness

Restaurant Week has come and gone and left many of us with that little twinge of regret about the extra dessert or that extra helping of “oh so good but oh so fatty” pasta. Sorry to say, but there is really no respite for the indulgent

since the yuletide season is right around the corner, and we all know that resistance to tasty treats is an annual low this time of the year. So, in anticipation of a fruitful Christmas, Your Style has exercised the foresight to provide you with a full home workout that will ease the guilt of that fruit cake or ease you more comfortably into that hot outfit. Let’s get to it!

SquatWorks: quads & Butt

a. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Extend your arms out in front of you to shoulder height, hands open, to

help balance yourself.

b. Lower your butt like you’re about to sit in a chair. Don’t let your knees extend past your toes. Hold for five sec-onds, then return to position A. Do three sets of 8–10

repeats.

Bicycle Works: abs, Obliques, and quads

a. Lie on your back, arms behind your head, elbows out, with your legs extended in front of you about a foot off the ground. Squeeze abs as you bring your left knee to-wards your chest; twist to bring your right elbow to your left knee.b. In one fluid motion, straighten your left knee as you bend your right one, twisting to bring your left elbow towards your right knee. Return to position A and repeat, keeping abs tight throughout. Do three sets of 8–10 repeats.

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fitness

ParacHute

a. Lie flat on your back with your hands under your butt. Squeeze your abs and press your lower back against the floor as you raise your head and your feet about two inches

off the ground.

b. To a count of five, slowly raise your feet towards the ceil-ing. Pause, exhale, then slowly count to five as you lower your feet back to position A. Do three sets of 8–10 re-

peats.

NO! Don’t arch your back or tuck your chin; you could cause muscle strain.

calf raiSe Works: calves & quads

a. Sit with your knees bent, feet planted on the ground in front of you. Place your palms on the mat behind you (shoulder-width apart), fingers forward. Now lift your butt about eight inches off

the ground.

b. With your elbows pointing backward, bend your arms and lower your butt toward the floor. Go as low as you can without letting your butt touch down. Return to position A. Do three

sets of 8–10 repeats.

tricePS DiPWorks: triceps & abs

a. Place the balls of your feet on the edge of a sturdy, flat block or stair and let your heels hang two inches below the block or stair. Tighten your abs to help you keep your balance.

b. Tighten your calves as you raise your heels so you are standing on tiptoe; hold for five seconds. Now, slowly return to position A and repeat. Do three sets of12–15 repeats

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from a guy’s mind:

for your guy

SPerfectGifts

oon it will be your fave guy’s birthday; are you running out of time and stressing about what to get but still can’t figure it out? Well, Your Style got a fellow to share with us what gifts will move him to declare to his friends that you are the “Best

Wife/Girlfriend Ever.” Step away from those drills and tools that are perfect for household chores, and take a look at our great suggestions.

favOurite atHlete JerSey Men love sports as much as you may hate the thought of it. This is almost a given, so a shirt of his favourite sports team will defi-nitely be a great gift. You can even use this gift as a “peace offering” for all the times you complained about him hogging the TV dur-ing that Arsenal versus Manchester United game or whenever Lebron touches the court during a basketball game. This will be

greatly appreciated.

WatcHeSA timepiece is no doubt one of the most legitimate pieces of jewellery for a male; GQ Maga-zine outlines that “Real Men

Wear Watches.”

cOlOgNe This is like pulling an old trick from the book, but yet it can still be a bit tricky. Try to find out what fragrances your guy likes before getting him cologne. Ever wonder why the last fragrance you got him is still sitting on the dresser? Maybe because it is not necessarily his taste and he just

might not want to hurt your feelings.

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PS3Boys love gadgets and this never changes even with age, but ensure that you get him cool gadgets like a Playstation 3 (PS3). This is the perfect gift to get him to spend some more time with the children (if you have children), or to have him spending more time at home. Ladies, don’t be shy to ask

him to teach you how to play, the more the merrier.

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