Exercise activities that can be done around your home and life schedule

Jan 20, 2012 by blackbook

I mentioned at the beginning of the month that we would look at exercise routines that you can easily introduces around your home and work commitments. After all not every can afford to go to a gym nor can they always find time or motivation to even go!

A healthy lifestyle isn’t just eating healthy food, you also need to exercise, however you will be surprised at where you can easily fit in some exercise, plus everyday chores which also count. Exercises which form part of your everyday life and ones that can be added include:

Cleaning the house, clean your car and do some gardening will all use energy and burn calories which means you are killing two birds with one stone.

Walk or cycle to work, to the shops or to appointments instead of driving.

Exercise with friends or family, do you normally go round to your friends for a natter and polish of a bottle of wine and nibbles? Well go for a walk instead to catch up or meet up to go jogging. Take your kids to the park or on a walk instead of sitting around at home.

When you watch TV instead of sitting there nibbling on snacks do some exercises one of my favourites to do is step aerobics, I get into a gentle rhythm to my fave TV shows and I’m off. You could also move an exercise bike into your living room and sit on that whilst watching your favourite programmes you will be surprised how much you do whilst watching TV!

Once you have worked these easy exercises into your life you could build up to more by looking at classes or clubs if you have spare time.

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Help to get you off to a healthy New Year

Jan 8, 2012 by blackbook

After the excesses of the festive season many people are looking to start the New Year on a healthy note, however over recent years the cost of ‘healthy’ foods has been increase. However now customers shopping in Asda, Co-operative Food and Aldi can look forward to discounts on healthy foods.

The Governments Change4Life initiative is aiming to tap into parents’ resolutions for themselves and their kids to eat healthier in the New Year, so supermarkets will fund price cuts on items such as fruit and vegetables and low fat yoghurt as part of the scheme.

To help you decipher the healthy food discounts Change4Life branding will appear throughout stores, there will also be information on how to make cheap, nutritious meals, dubbed “Supermeals” using the discounted items.

Many people on lower incomes do find shopping for healthier foods quite expensive, previously generous discounts were only really seen on convenience or processed foods or food stuffs which are not really considered nutritious. This new drive should see a change in trend on what we eat and hopefully help many people onto healthy and nutritious diets.

As part of the Campaign four million recipe cards with healthy meal ideas will be distributed through channels including newspapers and a direct mail campaign which means there really isn’t any excuse not to cook and eat healthy meals no matter what your budget.

From 20 January a free cookbook endorsed by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriet will be available through Change4Life media partner Daily Mirror with Fifty thousand copies available, another fifty thousand will be available to people already signed up to receive Change4life information. The cookbook contains recipes that can be made for under £5.

As part of the Governments anti-obesity drive the private sector to help pay for and promote, schemes, in 2010 the “Great Swapathon”, saw companies including Unilever and Birds Eye fund discounts on their lower fat products in only Asda stores.

Public health minister Anne Milton says: “The New Year is a good time to think about losing weight. The Supermeals campaign will give us all some great ideas for balanced meals on a budget.”

In theory the scheme does have a lot of merits and will no doubt help families who are struggling, however the Shadow public health minister, Diane Abbott has reservations, she said: “They’re calling this public health but it’s just a glorified advertisement for big business. This is a government that doesn’t take its responsibility around public health seriously.”

If you are struggling with your weight or want to lead a healthier lifestyle then this is a good place to start, later in the month we will look at exercise routines that you can easily introduce around your home and work commitments.

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Odd hangover cures

Dec 22, 2011 by blackbook

Following on from my hangover post the other day I thought I might add a small post about some of the strangest hangover cures I came across which make for some odd reading!

Irish hangover cure: Apparently said to be: “to bury the ailing person in moist river sand.”

Outer Mongolia hangover cure: Eat a pickled sheep’s eye in a glass of tomato juice. Yummy!

Puerto Rico hangover cure: Rub a lemon under your drinking arm. Not sure how this gets rid of a hangover but will mean your pits are fresh well one of them!

Turkish hangover cure: A thick soup made with tripe or the eatable stomach of livestock and then cooked with garlic and cream.

Haitian voodoo people hangover cure: Stick 13 black pins in the cork of the offending bottle.

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Treatments for Erectile Dysfunction

Dec 10, 2011 by blackbook

To start off with let’s look at what Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is: In basic terms, ED is when a man has an inability to get a good enough erection to achieve pleasing intercourse. It can occur in any age group and can vary in degrees. For example; some men struggle to get an erection at all other men can get one but it is not firm enough to penetrate for intercourse and others can manage penetration but then lose the erection.

In the past there really weren’t many treatments for ED however in the past decade at least advancements have been made so now many men can now regain their power and have successful intercourse. The most well-known treatment for ED is Viagra, or the ‘little blue pill’ as people know it, however there are other treatments you can get now such as Cialis and you can also buy Levitra online as well.

All three treatments have side effects, however you may find if one doesn’t suit you others may, however not everyone may be able to take them, which is why it is advisable to speak to your doctor first before taking any.

Viagra (sildenafil)

Viagra works by widening the blood vessels in your penis to give you an erection however you do need to provide sexual stimulation. It normally works within an hour of taking and usually lasts around four hours (not an erection lasting four hours rather the ability to gain and maintain one).

Cialis (tadalafil)

Cialis is now becoming increasingly popular with more men choosing to take it over Viagra it works in the same way however the effects last for twelve hours rather than just four. Viagra can be blocked by food in the stomach however according to the manufacturers Cialis does not get blocked by food.

Levitra (vardenafil)

Levitra is most similar to Viagra, it doesn’t last as long as Cialis but still does work in the same way both drugs do. It also has similar side effects as well.

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Surviving the Christmas Party season: Handbag essentials

Dec 5, 2011 by blackbook

 

Now the festive season is upon us you will need to be prepared to avert any beauty-related disasters that may occur on a night out or at a Christmas party, quick sharp. So I have a list of handbag essentials that should see you through the festive period.

Gel cushions

Have a long night of dancing ahead and in 4 inch heels? Well then your feet are going to need cushioning which is where gel cushions or half insoles made out of silicone come in handy. I generally find that my feet can last so much long than they can without them plus I don’t end up with blisters or hard skin on the balls of my feet the next morning.

Plasters and blister pads

New shoes and blisters seem to go hand in hand so keeping plasters and blister pads in your bag will come in handy when you get that sore feeling on your heels or toes, should make carrying on with the rest of the night much easier.

Perfume

Carrying around a big bottle of your favourite perfume can be a bit too much so invest in a handbag spray which can be filled with your favourite scent or some solid perfume means if you go out straight after work you can easily freshen up.

Makeup remover and cotton buds

I always have some makeup remover wipes in my desk for emergencies, and to tidy my makeup up for a night out so I can get out quickly. Just in case of makeup emergency on a night out invest in some liquid buds which have alcohol free liquid in them to tidy up your makeup.

Dry shampoo

This is another desk supply at work, which helps me when I head out straight from the office, to give my hair some instant revitalisation before I go out.

Spot stick

I always have spot stick in my handbag to be honest and I find spots tend to appear when you don’t want them to so keeping it on me means I can deal with them as soon as they appear. Because I am out a lot more over the festive period I also find properly cleaning and cleansing my face and using face masks also helps as a precaution.

Blotting paper

If you suffer from oily skin or use heavy moisturiser or foundation you may find it handy to keep some blotting paper in your handbag to get rid of the unsightly oily patches that can appear on your skin when you’re out or after a long day at the office.

Breath mints

Fresh breath is important and over Christmas you will find you tend to eat a lot more food which can contribute to bad breath so when out partying after a meal a squirt of breath freshener will help especially if your chatting a lot to people, I’m sure they will appreciate it anyway!

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Grumpy pants on a morning?

Nov 27, 2011 by blackbook

For some getting up on a morning can be really hard, some people are just not morning people. A recent survey commissioned by Philips Wake-up Light asked 11,000 people about how they felt on a morning and it revealed that British people are among the grumpiest in Europe.

The survey showed that 90% of people admitted that they don’t feel refreshed on a morning, 93% did not feel alert and 68% did not feel ready for the day ahead. Darker mornings also put a strain on some people with 70% stating that it had a negative effect on them.

If you find getting up in the morning and always reach for the snooze button, then fear not there are ways to help you become a morning person.

One of the main ways to ensure you wake up feeling refreshed is to make sure you get enough un-broken sleep the night before. Waking up before your body has had the rest it needs, will have a negative effect on the way you feel for the rest of the day.

Although noisy alarm clocks wake you up, it’s not necessarily the best way to be woken up. They often startle you out of sleep which is a good way to be woken up especially if you were in a deep sleep. Instead dawn simulators can work well to wake you up gradually, great on dark winter mornings.

Getting out of bed at a regular time will help the way you feel too, even at weekends. Your body starts to prepare itself to wake up an hour before you normally get up so by getting into a routine will help your body to get ready.

Don’t snooze; get up when your alarm goes off, rather than hitting snooze. Set your alarm for when you need to get up rather than before and using snooze. The extra sleep you gain will be more beneficial than the dozing you get with snooze.

Picture courtesy of tohoscope

 

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