Saturday 29 September 2012

Warm For Winter

Urrggh!

The weather has changed with a vengeance - everything I hate about living in the UK.

It is cold, wet, dark and only October :(

Just the time of year where you decide it is time to switch on your heating to discover that the boiler is broken and the radiators leak.

Which is why we should be more like boy (and girl) scouts and 'be prepared'!

How many people can put their hands in the air and admit to testing all of these things whilst the weather is still ok? (not going to say good here as it is not often that here).

I know, it seems to be a bit of a waste to turn on the heating when the weather is mild especially as the cost of gas and electricity is so high these days.  But surely it is better to do this for a few hours than to discover on a cold dark wet Sunday night that things are not working quite as you hoped?

So, lecture over - what else can we do to make sure that we stay warm and dry this winter and for the minimum cost?

  • Make sure that all our warm winter jumpers are clean and ready - layer up and add more clothes.
  • Buy a second duvet to put on top of the one you already have to save you needing to put heating on in the bedroom.  Not healthy anyway having a warm stuffy bedroom.
  •  Make sure that your loft insulation is as thick as it can be - no point heating your roof and the sky above is there?
  • Are you windows and doors all draft proofed?
  • Have you got double glazing?  No point losing precious energy through single paned windows doors and conservatories.
  • Have you got a good recipe book for soups and stews?  Take time to learn new recipes and to use new ingredients.
  • Have you got a good pair of walking boots to go out for a nice brisk walk to get the blood pumping round your body?
  • Make sure to get a regular hot stones massage - nothing quite like it for warming you to the core. 
  • Make sure that you make a conscious decision to work from home in the coming new year.  You can become a virtual online assistant or provide online marketing services or something similar then you can work from your bed enjoying the view from your window.
Just a few suggestions to help to keep you warm and healthy and to help to keep your heating bills down to a minimum as they continue to rocket skywards ever more.


Monday 24 September 2012

Ways To Stay Healthy In Winter



Here we go again - no sooner have I packed my holiday suitcase with beach and holiday clothes back on the top of the wardrobe than the weather takes a turn.  Not that it needed to turn too much after the summer (or lack of it) we have had this year here in the UK.
Blimey, I think I wore my cropped trousers 3 times and my jumper or a fleece most days.

However, at least the weather was mild enough to be outside to get some fresh air and exercise.  We went for some really great walks (actually the weather was perfect for walking - not too hot and not too wet and cold - just right).  We went out on our bikes and again the weather was just right.  We went to the gym and to the pool - so all in all despite the lack of lounging in the sun type weather we had a good summer.

But, back to the autumn.  The season of settling in and hibernation, the season for getting those last few outside jobs done and the season for getting those nice warm socks out and hats and gloves ready for the ice and frost to come.  I actually love autumn - I love all the seasons for very different reasons but if I had to pick a favourite I reckon it would be autumn.

I love to smell that woody, damp smell where the leaves have fallen and bonfires been lit.  I love to go for walks on a chilly afternoon with my warm coat and hat and gloves on and I especially love to walk along kicking at piles of yellow, orange browny leaves that crackle and crunch underfoot.

But, the colder weather also brings it's own hazards and one of these is the run of winer bugs that seem to plague millions as the weather turns in.  We get sniffles and coughs and winter vomiting.  Yet much of this could be easily avoided or make far less severe if we were a bit more proactive in looking after ourselves and in particular in boosting our immune system.

So, what are some good ways of protecting ourselves over winter?

Well, one of the best ways is by keeping fit and active and resisting the temptation to just trow in the towel and hibernate in the warmth of your home.  Get out and about in the cold sharp fresh air and get the blood pumping round your veins.  Get out your warm hat and gloves and even take a thermos of hot tea.
Get into the gym for a warm up and workout and feel all invigorated and alive when you hit the cold air when you get back outside.
Or….. if going outside is really not your thing then how about investing in a portable step machine so that you can work out at home?

Portable step machines today can be small and discreet so no one need to know your guilty little secret.  They can deliver a workout with a real punch.  If you look at the elliptical trainers - these not only do the up and down of conventional steppers but they also do the side to side motion you get from say skiing or cycling.  You get a really deep workout using muscles you either did not now you had or forgot you had years ago.

With a portable step machine workout you get the muscle exhausting workout you need combined with the card vascular pump workout your heart needs to stay strong and healthy.

So, stop revelling in being unhealthy this winter - you do not need to leave the comfort of your own front room to get fit and strong and the best thing is that no one else need know your little secret of healthy success.

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Step Machine Review - Sunny Health & Fitness Twister Stepper

I do not know about you but I for one have noticed over the last 2 weeks how the nights have begun to draw in.  Just 2 weeks ago we enjoyed the last barbecue of the year where we were able to enjoy sitting out in the garden until well after dark and not be chilly at all.

Now just 2 short weeks down the line autumn has arrived.  The mornings are albeit bright and sunny for the most part but chilly, the nights are getting darker earlier and earlier.

Time to begin to draw in and hibernate for the long process of winter.

This is the time of year where leaving the house after teatime holds no appeal for many people whatsoever.  What may have seemed like a good idea at one time no longer seems that when it is cold and dark and often raining.  No more going out for a run in the warm balmy air of the english early evening.

So, this brings me to the subject of still being able to keep fit and healthy over the winter months.

I have recently been looking at portable step machines as a method of getting a good regular workout for both muscles and my cardiovascular system.  In particular I have been drawn to several models that look to have the best of all worlds ......   

Sunny Health & Fitness Twister Stepper

Now the reason this one caught my eye is that it is a double whammy - it is an elliptical trainer which means not only do you get an up/down step workout but also a side to side skiing/cycling one.  It has got variable resistance settings so as you get fitter your workout gets harder and will make you aware of muscle groups you never imagined you had :)

This means that you get a much better and deeper workout.  I am all for getting more value out of the same effort. I particularly loved this one too as it simply stashes away under the bed or in a cupboard and no one need be any the wiser about your little secret need they?

This really does seem to be a Rolls Royce of step machines and being priced round about the $50 mark is extremely good value for a very sturdy heavy duty piece of home gym equipment. 
Not only that it even has an integrated computer with an LCD display so that you can monitor your workout and keep track of previous ones.

You can even work out with your arms and upper body as there are also some exercise bands for the upper body.  This really can be a whole body workout in the comfort of your sitting room.

Another reason I am drawn to portable step machines is that you can be doing other things whilst working out - I am a great advocate in multi tasking and working out is a chore to me so the fact that I can be listening to my Ipod or watching TV makes it slightly more tolerable to do.



Friday 14 September 2012

Getting Fit Over Winter

I have got a friend who always does the same thing - she eats for comfort all winter then come spring she has a massive panic over how she is going to look on the beach and all of a sudden she crash diets like a maniac.

She totally resents the diet, cheats her way through it then sighs and moans how bad she looks in her bikini.

Now, you can argue that I have been born lucky - rake thin.

However, what I will say in my own defence is that if I want to achieve something badly enough i somehow find the necessary will power to get me to where I want to be and if (god forbid) I needed to lose a pound or three in weight then if I wanted to do this that badly I would do whatever it took.

So, back to Jo (or that's what we call her here ) - you see all through winter I have observed that whilst she increases her calorie intake her exercise intake goes down.  In summer she goes out for a run and swims twice a week but winter she hibernates eating her way along.

If she were to simply continue with her exercise regime and cut down on her food a bit this would make a huge difference to her.  I suggested this once and she replied that the weather here in the UK is far too cold, dark and wet to even contemplate it.

That was until she discovered the joys of a step machine.

You see having a step machine in her home (not only that but a portable step machine so no one else knew her little secret) means that she can exercise like being at the gym or out for a run in the privacy of her home.  She can watch the TV whilst she breaks into a sweat and then hide the evidence away for later.  Not as bad as hiding your chocolate wrappers is it?

The cost of buying her stepper worked out less than gym fees over winter and she has got it for next year too.  She recently learned about the new style stepper the elliptical trainer and is now talking of her next purchase with great excitement

She now reports that she loves to exercise in winter and no longer feels bad about eating comfort food as she has a way to easily work off any excess and keep herself trim and fit whilst it rains, snows and does it's best as only english weather knows how.

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Home Step Machines

Phew summer is gone and autumn is here - I can hear thousands heaving a sigh of relief as they realize that the fight to get fit for the beach is over for another year.

No more pretending to diet

No more feeble attempts to do exercise

No more having to make excuses for not sticking to the diet (either to yourself or anyone else)

No more needing to look at that bikini with a heavy heart

STOP!!!

It need not be like this!

If you just got yourself organised and added in a bit of discipline you could get yourself to be beach ready all year round.

Yes, I know what you are saying and I hear you ....

I do not get time to go to a gym
I do not have the money for monthly membership
I look fat and silly in front of everyone else
I do not have a baby sitter
yada yada yada....

Ok, so how about getting a home step machine then?

What?

Yes, a home step machine...

You can exercise when you like (even whilst watching TV if you like)

You do not need a baby sitter

You do not have monthly gym fees

You do not need to leave the house or find spare time you do not have

You do not need to look 'silly' in front of others.

You DO ...

Get fitter as time goes by

Get a good cardio and stamina workout and get toned as you go

Lose weight and fat as muscle builds

Gain confidence

A home step machine such as the Stamina SpaceMate folding stepper even folds up and stores under your bed - so you cannot even use lack of storage space as your excuse for not getting one!

Go on now, what do you have to lose - apart from maybe those 20lb's you wanted to lost before the summer this year?

Start autumn as if it were the beginning of summer and get fit and lose that weight and imagine how great you will feel hitting the beach in 2013 looking amazing!