If there is one city that is completely obsessed with shopping then that is Bangkok. With its numerous malls, arcades, swanky department stores and floating markets, Bangkok is the perfect place to go on a shopping spree.

While the Siam Center and Paragon are well placed and are loaded with higher-end shops, some of the best shopping can be had in the night markets and Chinatown, where you can bargain and have fun. Best buys in Bangkok include imitation brand clothes, silk items, sunglasses, gold and jewelry.

Siam Square

Located in the center of Bangkok, Siam Square is Bangkok's Times Square, which is home to glitzy shopping malls connected by a group of walkways.

From the legendary MBK to the sophisticated Emporium, trendy Siam Discovery and Central World Plaza or the huge Siam Paragon, Bangkok caters to every taste and every whim.

These malls house the city's finest fashion stores, global brands, book shops, specialty stores, accessories and all kinds of luxury designer lifestyle goods. As they are modern and air-conditioned, shoppers flock to these malls to escape the warm weather and humidity of Bangkok.

Siam Paragon

Home to a range of international high-end fashion brands, Siam Paragon shopping center (in photo) is a shopaholic's paradise. Conveniently located in front of Siam BTS Skytrain station, this immensely popular shopping mall is fairly compact and provides mainly luxury items for well-heeled Thais and international visitors with cash to splurge. This is the right place to purchase something special and of high quality. The mall hosts stores of designer brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Versace. You can apply for a Tourist Discount Card at the information desk on the ground floor and get up to 5 percent discount on most purchases.

MBK

Open since 1995, MBK is one of Asia's oldest shopping malls and one of Thailand's most famous shopping centers. Packed with small independent shops - mostly Thai brands and designs - MBK is very popular among the younger buyers. This is a great place for bargain hunters looking for Thai-branded clothes.

Sukhumvit

Bangkok's main thoroughfare, Sukhumvit is lined with shopping plazas and department stores all the way to soi (street) 63 at Ekkamai. The best shopping takes place during the day.

Silom-Surawong-Patpong

Home to dozens of smart shops and arcades, Silom Road is the commercial heart of Bangkok. You don't have to go far before you come across Surawong Road, which is also popular. When the sun goes down, Patpong Road comes alive with its market; this is a great place to shop as the city is cooler at night.

Chinatown

Chinatown is a formidable alternative to the massive shopping malls in Bangkok. Yaowarat Road and Sampheng Lane are the main Chinatown thoroughfares, featuring a range of jewelry shops and clothing stores. This is a great place to buy the elephant pants that are so popular in Thailand. They are fresh and they look great. While you shop, you can stop for a Thai massage, a bite or get someone to read your fortune on Tarot cards.

Chinatown is the best place to find the best bargains in Bangkok but bartering is necessary. There's nothing you can't buy in Chinatown. Head to Balanna Plaza for all kind of shoes (beware of fakes). The best thing about shopping in Chinatown is that you can stop for snacks and drinks every now and then as it is home to the best street market in the city. In fact, Chinatown is responsible for making Thailand famous for its delicious street food.

Shopping tips

Bangkok's weather is hot year-round, so wear cool clothes. To avoid rush hour, you might want to do your market shopping in the morning. There are no set prices, so always make sure you compare prices between one stall and the next. Don't forget it's Thailand and there haggling is a national sport, so don't be afraid to barter. When you shop in the market, check for any flaws before you purchase any clothes.

If you need some motivation to go shopping, here are some quotes to awaken your inner shopaholic:

“Born to Shop! Forced to work.”

“I shop like a bull - I charge everything!”

“I love to go shopping. I love to freak out salespeople. They ask me if they can help me, and I say, ‘Have you got anything I'd like' Then they ask me what size I need, and I say, ‘Extra medium.'” - Steven Wright.

“Shopping is my cardio.” - Carrie Bradshaw.

“Whoever said money doesn't buy happiness didn't know where to shop.” - Blair Waldorf.

“Danger women shopping.”

“Take me shopping and I'm yours.”

Staying fit is not easy as you have to give up delicious meals and make an effort by exercising. Here are some ways to motivate yourself to workout:

Give yourself a reward

Although most people are motivated by goals such as better health or weight control, others need to resort to other measures. According to journalist Charles Duhigg - author of The Power of Habit: Why We do What We do in Life and Business - some people need more immediate rewards to keep themselves motivated. These immediate rewards include treating yourself to a smoothie or an episode of The Leftovers after the working out session.

He advises you to create a neurological “habit loop,” which consists of setting up a cue that triggers your behavior (leaving your spinning shoes next to your bag), creating a routine (making it through spinning class) and getting a reward. “An intrinsic reward is so powerful because your brain can latch on to it and make the link that the behavior is worthwhile,” he explains. “It increases the odds the routine becomes a habit.” By creating this habit loop that culminates in a reward, motivation becomes natural, as the brain begins to associate sweat and pain with the surge of endorphins - feel-good chemicals released after a work-out session which make you feel exhilarated. Over time, your brain starts to recognize the work-out session as a reward in itself and it won't even need an external treat anymore.

Make a commitment

Studies show that we are more likely to follow through when we make promises in front of friends. You can sign a contract agreeing to pay a friend a certain amount of money each time you skip the gym. “It's a simple notion of changing the cost,” explains Jeremy Goldhaber-Fieber, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University who studies health decision science. “I say I'm going to make a commitment to do something for a certain amount of time, such as exercising 30 minutes three times a week for 12 weeks. If I don't do that, I'm going to pay some kind of penalty, whether it's monetary or the embarrassment of having friends know I didn't live up to may word.”

“We have to get past the initial experience of displeasure in order to recognize the longer-term benefits,” he says. “The challenge is designing tools to help make that happen.”

Positive Thinking

Positive thinking consists in visualizing the benefits of a behavior as a motivational strategy. You also have to figure out what's holding you back and come up with a way to overcome it before it becomes a real problem.

“After you imagine the obstacle, you can figure out what you can do to overcome it and make a plan,” explains Oettingen.

Get paid

Research on how monetary incentives affected exercise found that people who were paid $100 to go to the gym doubled their attendance rate. “You just need to get people to keep doing an activity, and paying them money was effective,” explains study author Gary Charness, PhD, behavioral economist at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Whether you get a reward or pay someone to keep you on track, you'll know you've succeeded once you can't go on a day without exercising. You succeed the day you view your workout as an addiction, a pleasure or an escape. What matters is that you are doing it on a regular basis and you are doing it for your.

Here are some motivation catchphrases to get you going:

“It takes 21 days to make or break a habit.”

“I already know what giving up feels like. I want to see what happens if I don't.”

“Once you see results, it becomes an addiction.”

“When you feel like dying, do 10 more.”

“Today's actions are tomorrow's results.”

“Be the girl who decided to go for it.”

“3 months from now, you will thank yourself.”

“The hardest thing about exercising is to START. Once you're exercising regularly, the hardest thing to do is STOP.”

“I'm not trying to build a summer body. I'm trying to build a lifestyle.”

“Your legs are not giving out. Your head is giving up.”

Just a cup of tea can keep the doctor away. Perhaps that phrase wasn't intended for tea, but it can be applied to it, nonetheless. Researchers attribute tea's health properties to polyphenols (a type of antioxidant( and phytochemicals). Studies have shown that teas can help protect your teeth and your heart.

Here are some of the health benefits tea has:

Digestion

Hot water per sé helps digestion of food at the time it helps to detoxify the body. Some herbal teas, as well, stimulate digestion; for instance, a few slices of ginger root in boiling water, or chamomile, peppermint and cinnamon will help you process your meal faster.

Water retention

Horsetail tea is a powerful diuretic, making you urinate more often and helping you reduce water retention. As a diuretic, horsetail affects the kidneys, increasing the amount of water and salt released into the urine. Apart from being used as a diuretic, horsetail has also been used for skin and nail care, wound healing, osteoporosis, and bone repair. Pu-erh and green tea are also powerful diuretics.

Speed up your metabolism

White tea is known for speeding up metabolism and increasing how many calories you burn a day. It also detoxifies your body. These properties can also be found in Pu-erh and green tea.

Scientists have found that the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract increase the body's ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved muscle endurance. Tea also has an energizing effect in some people.

Fight diseases

Drinking tea could help reduce the risk of heart attack, protect against cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. “There's a lot of literature out there on tea and heart health,” says Anna Ardine, clinical nutrition manager at Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “This is a health effect for which there is the strongest evidence.”

It can also help protect against a boatload of cancers, including breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers.

According to Leslie Bonci, nutritionist and owner of Active Eating Advice, studies on how tea may help battle cancer are mixed. In the meantime, however, “ if you've go a strong family history of cancer and you want to do anything you can, you might increase your tea consumption,” she adds.

Drinking tea is also linked to a lower risk of Parkinson's disease and could be beneficial to people with Type 2 diabetes. According to research, compounds in green tea could help diabetics better process sugars.

Tea is packed with antioxidants

Antioxidants prevent the body's version of rust; therefore, it helps to keep us young.

Tea is good for your teeth

“Japanese researchers have found that tea can decrease tooth loss,” Ardine says. “It changes the pH in your mouth when you drink it and that may be what prevents cavities.” Beyond that, tea, unlike many other beverages does not appear to erode tooth enamel, Bonci says.

Here are some quotes about tea to inspire you:

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” - C.S. Lewis

“I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground.

“I shouldn't think even millionaires could eat anything nicer than new bread and real butter and honey for tea.” - Dodie Smith, I capture the Castle.

“In Ireland, you go to someone's house, and she asks you if you want a cup of tea. You say no, thank you, you're really just fine. She asks if you're sure. You say of course you're sure, really, you don't need a thing. Except they pronounce it ting. You don't need a ting. Well, she says then, I was going to get myself some anyway, so it would be no trouble. Ah, you say, well, if you were going to get yourself some, I wouldn't mind a spot of tea, at that, so long as it's no trouble and I can give you a hand in the kitchen. Then you go through the whole thing all over again until you both end up in the kitchen drinking tea and chatting.

In America, someone asks you if you want a cup of tea, you say no, and then you don't get any damned tea.

I liked the Irish way better.” - C. E. Murphy, Urban Shaman.

Although genes are relevant when it comes to determining your metabolism, you can trick your body into burning more calories efficiently. One of the best ways to do this is by hitting the gym. According to human studies professor at the University of Alabama Gary Hunter, by strength-training a few times a week, you'll reverse 50% of the seemingly inevitable metabolism slow-down that comes with age.

Ramp up the intensity

When you exercise - run, swim, or even walk - ramp up the intensity for 30-seconds intervals, returning to your normal speed afterward. This strategy will help you consume more oxygen and make your cell powerhouses, the mitochondria, work harder to burn energy, according to Mark Hyman, an integrative and functional medicine specialist in private practice in Lenos, Massachusetts. He is also the author of Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss. “You increase the number of mitochondria and how efficiently they burn throughout the day,” he explains. Therefore, you can burn more calories in less time.

Get your omega-3's

Back in the 90s a war against fat started. This war targeted all food that had any fat in them. Today, this theory has been proved wrong. Not all fats will make up stock up kilos. What you need to avoid are the trans-fats. However, healthy fats will help you lose weight. Eating plenty of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, herring and tuna) will help you balance blood sugar and reduce inflammation, helping to regulate metabolism. They may also reduce resistance to the hormone leptin, which is linked to how fast fat is burned. A study in Obesity Research found that rats that ingested large doses of fish oil while exercising lost weight.

Strength-training boosts your metabolism

Muscle uses more energy than fat. Studies find that an average woman in her 30s who strength-trains 30 to 40 minutes twice a week for four months will increase her resting metabolism by 100 calories a day. That means that you are burning extra calories even when you don't go to the gym.

Turn to green tea

Although green tea has always been praised for its antioxidant polyphenols, new evidence suggests that this kind of tea has catechin which may crank up metabolism. According to a study, catechins may improve fat oxidation and thermogenesis - the latter is your body‘s production of energy from digestion. If you drink five eight-ounce cups of green tea a day, you can increase your energy expenditure by 90 calories a day. If it's summer, you can also opt for iced tea.

Don't starve yourself

While many dieters resort to cutting out too many calories, this is not the best way to lose weight as your metabolism thinks your there's a scarcity of food and stops fat burning to conserve energy. The trick to keeping your metabolism revved up while dieting is eating enough calories to at least match your resting metabolic rate (what you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day).

Don't skip breakfast

Eating a nutrient-rich morning meal shortly after getting out of bed will get your metabolism up and running. “Eating breakfast gets the engine going and keeps it going,” Hyman explains. According to the National Weight Control Registry, 78% of the people who lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off more than five years had breakfast every day.

Say “no” to trans fat

These are the types of fat you must avoid. They are not only unhealthy but they also slow down your body's ability to burn fat. “They have an altered shape and make your biochemistry run funny,” Hyman said, explaining that trans fat binds to fat and liver cells and slows metabolism. Trans fat also lead to insulin resistance and inflammation, both of which slow down metabolism and can lead to weight gain.

Trans fat products include doughnuts, cookies, muffins, pies and cakes - particularly with frosting. Although breakfast sandwiches might save you time in the morning, these usually contain 1 gram of trans fat. If you look at the ingredients, you are likely to find partially hydrogenated oils in the top five. Besides, they are packed with sodium. Margarine might also contain trans fat. The trick is that if you can keep them in your fridge for a long time, they probably have trans fat. Avoid fried fast food and frozen pizza at all costs as they will hinder your weight-loss efforts.