One of the things some of us don’t often realise is that in order to lose weight and gain muscle. We need to make sure that we are eating sufficient protein in our diets. If we don’t have the correct balance or eat enough of it, then we may either stay the same weight, or we may go the other way and gain weight.

One of the reason’s protein is so important is its the building block of building muscle and tissue repair. So for some people, taking a supplement maybe an easier route to get the adequate amount of protein. They need in order to help with losing fat and gain muscle.

A new one has come out on the market, recently called Bio Care Body Balance which this review is based upon in order to try this particular supplement.  All I did was mix one sachet with some water in a blender.

This is one of those supplements that you need to do this with other than using a shaker cup. Otherwise it won’t mix properly I can’t really comment on how it would affect me from a performance point of view because I only have a few samples to try, but overall it did taste quite nice the flavour I had to try was vanilla.

I did  some exercise throughout the day, but as I say, it would be harder to gauge any kind of performance gains without taking it for any length of time. Here is some information about this particular brand of supplement. Body Balance has these ingredients in it i order to maximise your performance from your workout.

• L Carnatine this is used for speeding up the cellular metabolism of fat.
• It contains high-quality whey protein, which is used to supplement your diet and to curb your appetite, so you don’t overeat.
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) what this does is help your body to convert muscle to fat food, exercise
• Chromium, this is an essential ingredient for keeping your blood sugar imbalance, which helps to prevent you snacking on foods, which are high in sugar and fat

Here are the ingredients which are based on a 30g scoop.

Whey protein concentrate 21.3g

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) 1.48 g

L-Carnitine                                    190mg

Chromium                                      220ug

For more details and information please see there website, which is at www.biocare.co.uk  

Every so often I am sent products to review by various people, and this review is based around something called the fridge friend. The idea behind this is that you can record small memos up to a maximum of 15 lasting approximately 80 seconds each.

It has two buttons on the front of it below the screen. The left-hand button has a power sign next to it as well is a play sign the button next to it is the record button, so in order to record a video message which could be to remind yourself to do some exercise or some particular diet tip, once you switch the device on , you will see yourself in the camera.

Then it’s just a matter of pressing the right-hand button and this will start the video recording process. Once you have finished, it’s just a matter of pressing the record button. Once again, when you do this your recording will be played back to you straight away.

If you want to look at your messages. All you need to do is keep pressing the play button and you will see the number of each recording that you have made the thing to remember is, you can record up to 15 lasting up to 80 seconds each. If you want to delete any of your messages.

All you need to do is be playing each one, and when you come across one that you don’t want to keep any longer. Press the right-hand button and this will give you an option to delete it or save it as the case may be. The video quality that you get from it is reasonable.

The only thing I would say that lets it down a bit is the audio quality is a bit poor. It sounds a bit muffled, but you can make out what you are saying. Apart from that it does do everything that it should do so in summing up this would be an ideal gift. Or purchase was somebody who wanted to keep small reminders in video format on their fridge. For things like exercise reminders or to eat something healthy or anything you like really there are endless possibilities.

If you would like more information of similar products, please visit their website, which is http://www.ideasbynet.com/. You can also view a PDF with a description at this link http://www.ideasbynet.com/images/fridge-friend.pdf

Disclosure statement: I did receive this item in order to do a review of it as well as keep it.

Image by Chris Duffin

This is a guest post by Samantha Harvey on behalf of Tasty Bingo

It is important for families, especially kids, to get their 5 a day but it can be difficult to get them to eat their fruit and veg. Taking things slowly is the best way to gradually get them eating their greens, and you might even eventually convince them to even eat brussel sprouts. Here, we will look at easy ways to give your family their 5 a day.

Why Fruit and Veg?

Fruit and veg are important to stay healthy. Here are some other reasons why you should eat your 5 a day:

* They taste great

* They help reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease and some cancers

* They are a great source of fibre and antioxidants

* They are loaded with vitamins and minerals

* They are essential for maintaining a healthy weight

Plan the Day

Perhaps the easiest way to get your family to eat their 5 a day is by planning the day’s menu. Think about how you can include fruit and veg in meals ahead of time, and you should be able to easily sneak in healthy foods without them even noticing.

* Breakfast

A cooked breakfast can give you several portions of fruit and veg if you have grilled mushrooms, baked beans, grilled tomatoes and a glass of unsweetened orange juice. If you give your kids cereal for breakfast, add some sliced bananas or strawberries.

* Morning Break

Take some fruit or a piece of veg (bite-sized celery or carrots are ideal) to work for your mid-morning snack. Don’t be tempted to snack on an unhealthy pastry or chocolate.

Remember that all children between four and six at Local Education maintained primary schools are entitled to one free piece of fruit or vegetable, usually given out in the morning break. When they are older, include a piece of fruit with their lunchbox. School Food Regulations require that fruit and/or vegetables are provided at all school food outlets, including breakfast clubs and vending machines.

* Lunchtime

Avoid junk food and try something healthier. A packed lunch with fruit and vegetables will help you avoid feeling lethargic and give you enough energy to make it through the afternoon. Think of creative ways to get your 5 a day, too.

A school lunch will give your son or daughter a piece of fruit and a portion of vegetables. Include dried fruits such as sultanas or apricots in their lunchbox (they count as a portion) and put tomatoes, lettuce or cucumber in their sandwiches. Remember that kids love to swap food, so talk to other parents and get ideas about how to give everyone their 5 a day.

* When they come back

Kids are usually famished when they leave school. Give them some fruit to help recharge until it’s time for dinner. When they’re so hungry, they’ll be more inclined to eat almost anything, so now is your chance to give them another of their 5 a day.

When you or your partner come back from work, eat a banana to get some energy for the rest of the evening. If you’ve had a stressful day, something sweet like grapes or raisins can help settle your mood.

* Dinner

Remember that vegetables in stews and other dishes count as a portion of your 5 a day, so try and include as many as possible. Avoid adding any extra fats or sugars, and use lean cuts of meat. Try to include at least two types of vegetable at dinner but don’t force your kids to eat them. Sometimes, just watching parents eating them might be enough to convince them.

Start Early

If you have young children, now is the time to get them involved. I often bring my 2-year-old son along on weekly shops to introduce fruits and vegetables, encouraging him to pick out something he’d like to try for dinner. He doesn’t always like them but being adventurous is a good step.

Pizza and other treats

You don’t have to give up pizza or other favourite foods. Simply add veggie toppings to give them a portion of veg. Here’s a recipe for red and yellow pizza fingers that the whole family can enjoy:

Ingredients:

for the finger bases

150g (5oz) of strong flour

3g (1/8oz) dried yeast

100ml (3 1/2floz) warm water

1/2tsp salt

1/4tsp sugar

2-3 drops of olive oil, to blend

For the topping

1/4 jar of ready-made tomato pasta sauce

1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced

1/2 yellow pepper, de-seeded and sliced

1/2 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

55-85g (2-3oz) cheddar or redLeicestercheese, grated

A few basil leaves, shredded

Method

1. First preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Make a pizza dough by combining the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl, and stir in the warm water.

2. Remove the dough and knead for 5 mins. Place it on a floured surface and roll it out to form a long rectangle, pressing down with the palm of your hand to flatten.

3. Place the pizza base onto a greased, non-stick baking sheet. Spread a little tomato sauce onto the base. Scatter the red onion and pepper slices over. Sprinkle the grated cheese over and scatter the shredded basil leaves over the top.

4. Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins, or until the dough is crispy and the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, cut into fingers and serve.

Make it Fun

Kids like being messy, so let your kids help you make fun meals with fruit and veg.

* Make fun picnics (have them indoors when it’s cold) with lots of raisins, sliced carrots, veggie packed sandwiches and sweet grapes.  Add tasty treats like mini sausage rolls and low-fat crisps.

* Use cookie cutters to make sandwiches in shapes they love.

* Make funny faces out of pizzas and other dishes.

* Use a cookie cutter to make craters in mashed potato and add a vegetable moon lander. A flag made from dried spaghetti is the final touch.

* Grow your own veg and let your family pick them.

* Make tasty smoothies with your kids.

Finally, here’s a delicious recipe for smoothie jellies with ice cream. It’s a great alternative to traditional jellies and is perfect for parties, too.

Smoothie jellies with ice cream

Ingredients: (makes 12 small pots)

6 sheets leaf gelatine

1l bottle orange, mango and passion fruit smoothie

Ice cream

Method:

1. Put the leaf gelatine into a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave for a few minutes until soft and floppy. Gently heat the smoothie in a saucepan. Take off the heat. Lift the gelatine out of the water, squeeze out any excess water, then add it to the pan. Stir until smooth, then pour into 12 moulds, pots or glasses. Chill for at least 1 hour or until set.

2.Dip a tablespoon measuring spoon into a cup of hot water, then shake off the excess. Scoop the ice cream, dipping the spoon in the hot water each time. Serve each jelly topped with ice cream.

Post contributed by Samantha Harvey on behalf of Tasty Bingo the place to find great recipes and play bingo.

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Carbohydrates are in such a lot of food these days. We probably don’t even realise half the time how many we should or shouldn’t be eating. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with carbohydrates. We do need a certain amount in order to provide us with energy, but realistically, how many do we actually need?

The underlying problem with eating too many carbohydrates is when your body has enough of them, which is used to provide reserve and for your liver. Any that isn’t used results in spillage, which means your liver will take what it needs, and stores the rest, as fat, which is something, you don’t need.

If you are somebody who is very active and using lots of energy throughout the day. Then you may not notice, especially if you’re an athlete or something similar. However, a lot of us don’t fit into that particular category. So we’re going to need to watch how many we are consuming because we do not want to gain weight.

Here are some guidelines that I found on a blog called Mark’s Daily Apple. If you are eating more than 300g per day, then this is what he considered to be the danger zone. In other words, you are consuming far too many carbs, which is very easy to do in today’s society.

When you consider what we are consuming most of the time, carbohydrates are in quite a lot of food these days. They are in cereals, pasta, pancakes and so on. If you are consuming this amount of carbohydrate in your diet, then you are at risk of diabetes and inflammation, and he recommends that at this level, you need a sharp reduction in the amount of carbohydrates that you are consuming.

Next is 150–300 g per day at this level of consumption, you should expect the following, steady weight gain. If you have continued insulin dumps, which happen every time you eat food and even more so when you’re eating too many carbohydrates. The reason being is insulin interferes with the fat-burning  mechanism. When you are in this range, it can lead to an average a 1.5 pounds of fat gain per annum for a period of 40 years.

A more acceptable range is between 100 –150g per day, and tends to be based on your body weight and the amount of activity that you do each day. It allows for optimal fat burning and will help with muscle development.

Between 50 – 100g per day. This is supposedly the ultimate amount for promotion of fat burning and keeping insulin levels to a minimum, which is what you need to aim for. If you want to lose weight effectively eating this amount really ramps up fat metabolism. If you eat the average daily requirement of protein, which is based on the .7-1gram per lean body weight formula.

And by eating nutritionally rich vegetables and fruits. You will find it easy to stay in the range of 50 – 100 grams per day even if you eat quite large portions of food. If you do keep in this range y will range, it very easy to lose one or two pounds of body fat per week and keep it off as long as you stay within the above stated range.

Between 0-50g a day, this is okay for the odd day of intermittent fasting. Just make sure that you intake adequate amounts of protein, fat, and what other supplements, you may need. This would possibly be a good route for diabetics, but not recommended for a long time, practice.

Source material: Marks Daily Apple

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I watched a video presentation recently on You Tube and there was a weight loss tip which I hadn’t come across before, and it revolves around having 35g of protein upon waking. So here are seven breakfasts that you can eat and will give you 35g of protein, each morning.

1. Boiled Eggs, with Bread, four soft boiled eggs/hard-boiled, with two slices of wholemeal bread. Roughly, you will get 24 g of protein from the eggs and the wholemeal bread has 4 g of protein per slice which adds up to 32 g of protein, which is near enough.

2. Baked Beans Wholemeal Bread and an Egg, one large tin of baked beans, which is 22.8g of protein, and two slices of wholemeal bread, which will give you 8g of protein and one poached or soft or hard boiled egg , which will give you roughly 6g of protein.

3. Egg, Ham, and Cheese Whole Wheat English Muffin and Grapes, scramble two thirds of a cup of egg substitute and put on top of a whole wheat toasted English muffin top it with 1 ounce of extra lean ham and some American cheese and have it with a side of grapes. This will provide you with 35g of protein.

4. Six, Egg Omelette with Mushrooms, the eggs will give you 36g of protein. The mushrooms are there just to add a bit more variety to it.

5. Mexican Egg and Shrimp Pita with Peach, scramble, one third cup of egg substitute mix in 2 ounces of prepaid shrimp and put this in a wholemeal pitta bread topped with 2 ounces of low-fat shredded cheese, two tablespoon each of salsa with low-fat sour cream and serve with a large peach. This will provide you with 39g of protein.

6. Sausage and Rice Scramble with Greek Yogurt and Kiwi, scramble two thirds of a cup of egg substitute. Combine this with half a cup of brown rice and a ounce of pork sausage. Serve this with some plain Greek yoghurt and some fresh kiwifruit. This will provide you with 37g of protein.

7. Vegetarian Sausages with Beans and Egg, have two vegetarian sausages with one small tin of beans and one poached egg. This will provide you with 38g of protein.

If there are any ideas you have for high-protein breakfasts, then please feel free to add your input in the relevant section below.

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There are a lot of accepted facts about building muscle. In most cases these “facts” are based on little more than that they are widely repeated. The belief that you need to eat protein right after a workout is one of those “facts”.

The reality is that there is very little to base this belief on and the limited amount of research that has been done would seem to contradict it. That being said for most people it is still usually a good idea to eat protein after a workout, just not for the reasons that are generally believed.

Over the years it has become largely an accepted fact that consuming protein right after a workout would help with muscle growth. Unfortunately actual research to back this up is rather limited and the results of that research are open to question. Almost all of the research that has been done has focused in large part on protein synthesis immediately after the workout.

The results of this research did show that if you eat protein right after a workout protein synthesis will be increased. The problems come when the researchers tried to extend the results.

Most of the research that has been done into the effects of eating protein right after a workout on muscle growth have focused on the two hour period right after the workout. Protein synthesis during this period is increased. However there is very little actual muscle growth during this period.

When researchers extended the study period they discovered that after nine hours protein synthesis in people who had consumed protein right after their workout was no higher than it was for the people who had not eaten anything after their workout. The result is that they were really no better off than the people who had not eaten at all in more than nine hours.

It should not come as a huge surprise to learn that the value of eating protein right after a workout is rather limited. After all muscle is built during the recovery period after you have worked out, this takes several days. It is during this period that you need to be providing your body with protein. There is very little muscle growth during the first two hours after you have finished working out so there is not really a huge need to be eating protein.

All of the above being said it is still usually a good idea to eat protein after you workout. The reason has more to do with the fact that you want to be supplying your body with protein on a regular basis. This is the real key to growing muscle. Ideally you should be eating protein every three to four hours to make sure that you are getting an adequate amount. Clearly this means that you are likely going to want to eat protein in the two hours after you have worked out since you will likely be nearing four hours since you last consumed any.

The other reason that you are probably going to want to consume protein after a workout is that the research on the subject is far from definitive. While there is evidence that shows that there are in fact no benefits it can hardly be considered conclusive, it may be that eating protein actually does help. It is pretty clear however that it won’t hurt to eat protein after a workout. Therefore if you feel like it is helping you to eat protein after you have worked out then there is no reason to stop.

The only real issue that you may face if you do decide to consume protein after you a workout is that they may end up consuming more than you really need. Most people are under the impression that they need a lot more protein than they actually do to build muscle. In reality you only need to be a little bit above maintenance levels.

Again it won’t do you any harm to eat more protein than you need, it just isn’t going to help you any. There is a limit to how much protein you can process, if you consume more than this it will just pass right through you.

References:

1. Atherton PJ, Etheridge T, Watt PW, Wilkinson D, Selby A, Rankin D,

Smith K, Rennie MJ. Muscle full effect after oral protein: time-dependent

concordance and discordance between human muscle protein synthesis

and mTORC1 signaling. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov;92(5):1080-8.

2. Garlick PJ, McNurlan MA, Patlak CS. Adaptation of protein metabolism

in relation to limits to high dietary protein intake. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999

Apr;53 Suppl 1:S34-43.

by Will from Sprained Ankle Institute he also writes for a blog about Ayurveda

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In the past, I have found our daily newspaper to be sometimes quite inspirational. When it comes to writing content and today’s post is again no exception during the holiday period. There was an article within it, which was entitled Give Yourself a Body Boost and, as always being as it was so good I am going to put it into a post.

It starts off by saying that you are probably feeling a bit bloated may be sluggish, with the amount of food that you may have been eating over the Christmas period, coupled with going to bed late and moving very little watching too much television, and the list goes on.

So this list is designed to revitalise your energy in order to get you moving again, if needs be, and give you a much-needed  energy boost.

Brussels sprouts

The reason for eating Brussels sprouts is they are high in vitamin C, which is a boost for your immune system as well as your skin nerves and mucous membrane. Not only, that, they will help maintain energy levels as well as good fat as well as helping to protect you against asthma, migraine and possibly depression.

They tend to be rich in a particular thing called glucosinolates. These tend to help increase c enzymes within your body, which get rid of carcinogens, which help with cancer prevention.

Onions

Onions have natural inbuilt antibacterial properties, which in turn will help with lowering cholesterol levels as well as that they can help your body to dissolve blood clots, if you have some onion soup.  This can help with coughs and colds in the winter.

Avocados

Avocados are very good nutrition wise and have lots of benefits for your health. They are high in potassium, which is known to lower blood pressure. Furthermore, they are very high in antioxidants which mop up free radicals, which may be present from the environment and what you eat.

These can be toxic to your cells, so the more foods that you eat with high antioxidants, the better. Free radicals can be one of the things that can start cancer and heart disease.

Because of their high amount of phytochemicals avocados have anti-inflammatory properties. They help to prevent yeast infections avocados can help protect your skin from ageing prematurely and will help with keeping your hair in good condition. Furthermore, some new research says that avocados can help improve  your sperm health.

Oats

If you have a bowl of hot porridge this is a very good way to start your day. Oats are high in protein, as well as iron. The fibre in oats is known to help with lowering your cholesterol levels, porridge is also able to help with stress and tired nerves.

Soya

Soya has a lot of phytochemicals in which are great for mopping up free radicals, which will help in prevention of some sorts of cancers. Soya is supposedly able to help with both prostate and breast cancer and may help to prevent as well as treat heart disease.

Potatoes

If you have some potatoes left over from your holiday period, then you might want to consider using them if you’re feeling a bit anxious.

Apparently there good for soothing your nerves as well as helping with digestive problems, e.g. stomach ulcers, their nutritional value, which includes high B vitamins, potassium, iron, is present within their skins, so make sure that you cook them with the jackets on.

If you want something a bit more nutritious, then why not try their counterparts, sweet potatoes, these tend to be very rich in vitamin A, as well as carotenoids, which help support your immune system should you become infected, as well as keeping cancer at bay. Another benefit of these is if you’re going through a rest period. They can help to maintain healthy muscles.

Carrots

Carrots are full of great vitamin’s and carotenoids, which are beneficial to your eyesight. They also support circulation and healing of wounds. Carrots can help prevent cancer and heart disease if you have some pureed carrots. These can help with diarrhoea if your infant/child has it.

Bananas

If you’re anything like me, I like having bananas with my cereal. This is great if you want a quick energy boost. Bananas have lots of potassium in that will help to lower your blood pressure. Bananas are fibrous, which means that they will easily digestible and have the following health benefits. They keep you healthy skin, hair, nerves and bones, on the other.

Curly Kale

This green vegetable has three types of phytochemicals, which help in cancer prevention.  These are glucosinolates, bioflavonoids. These help to stimulate your immune system. Kale also helps with your health in the following organs your heart, muscles and nerves and also helps protect you against high blood pressure, as well as vascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes have a lot of antioxidant goodness in them and help support your immune system. At the same time, they help to maintain energy levels, so this will make them a good choice for people who may have prostrate cancer and heart disease. They also boost your resistance to infectious diseases and help with healing.

Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts are something of a festive/holiday nut. They have high levels of vitamin E and selenium these two are essential ingredients for boosting your immune system. Both work together selenium on its own does the following. It activates an enzyme which prevents free radicals from forming, which can damage DNA, not only this; it  you against infection and will help suppress tumour growth.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit is a great detoxification fruit and works on your digestive system and liver. If your energy levels are low, then this is a good choice of fruit to eat. It also has the following properties. It aids in healing blood vessels help strengthen bones. The soluble fibre, which is in grapefruit can help to lower cholesterol levels, as well as other blood fats. It attaches itself to any excess cholesterol as well as bile acids and helps to remove them from the body.

Sage

This is an ingredient of stuffing, which has been left over. It has antiseptic properties, which help to improve the function of your mucous membrane. This tends to come into effect when you have colds and flu. It’s your body’s way of trying to get rid of the infection. It may also help to reduce perspiration.

Red Peppers  

Red peppers have a high level of vitamins C, as well as good antioxidant properties, which help to prevent certain degenerative diseases such as eye conditions like age-related macular degeneration.

Garlic  

The great thing about garlic is it has many antibacterial properties, which help to stimulate the production of white blood cells within your immune system and acts against a varied amount of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. It also has an oil, which is volatile, which is excreted through your lungs.

Which is really helpful for respiratory problems such as bronchitis and whooping cough. Garlic also works in your blood, which helps to reduce body fat, as well as cholesterol and over a certain period of time will help to lower your blood pressure.

Spinach  

Spinach is a welcome addition to any salad that you may make its leaves are high in something called folate, which is important for healthy foetal development, which makes it an essential food for women who are pregnant, both before and during their pregnancy.

Spinach is high in the following vitamins A, C and K, which help to protect the skin and stimulate your immune system. It contains carotenoids,  which are powerful antioxidants, which will help protect you against cancer of the following lungs, breast and cervix. They also help with the eyes and liver function.

Oranges/Satsumas

Due to the high amount of vitamin C in oranges. They help to prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. They also can be beneficial to aid in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.

Sources and references: This has been extracted from the book, Eat to Boost Your Immunity and was printed in the Daily Express newspaper onTuesday, 27 December 2011.

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Getting Started
I started hooping a couple of years ago. I was a pole and burlesque dancing teacher for Polestars and was super excited that they were going to be offering hula hooping too. I’d seen people hooping in the parks and on the seafront in Brighton where I lived then and thought it looked like a lot of fun. I looked online and found that there was one class in Brighton and it wasn’t Polestars.

I went along, sat outside a church with some other beginners and discovered that basically, the teacher wasn’t going to turn up. Annoyed, I took myself down to Oddballs jugging shop and just bought an adult weighted hoop in blue and orange.

After lots of broken promises to learn to hoop together from friends, I gave up and bought the Hoop Girl beginners DVD online. The wait for it to arrive seemed as long as the wait for a cereal box coupon toy when you’re 8. Eventually it turned up – a whole reel of 30 tricks or so. But here’s the problem, I couldn’t even hoop round my waist yet and I got super frustrated. I decided to time myself every day, and every day, I would eek a few more seconds out of my personal best.

By the end of the week I could do a solid five minutes of waist hooping. I had bruised hips and scuffed walls, but I was thoroughly hooked. These days when I teach a Polestars party or class, it makes me laugh when girls worry they don’t get it in the first few minutes – they’re all much better than I was on their first go!

Choosing a hoop

Size – For an adult, you’ll need a hoop that’s a lot bigger than you’re probably expecting. A good guide is to choose one that comes up to your hip – for most people, it will be around 38-40 inches in diameter

Thickness – the thickness of the hoop determines how hard it is to use (and how many calories you’ll burn), for beginners, we recommend a thick (circa. 25mm) hoop, and once you get the hang of it, graduate to a thinner one (around 20mm)

Weight – heavy hoops are great if you’re a beginner or are hooping for exercise; Lighter hoops are better for doing tricks (particularly if you’ll be doing them on your legs or neck!)

Where to buy a hoop?

When you were a kid, the hoops at the nearest toy shop or discount store were probably perfect; but for an adult, we recommend buying your hoop from a specialist dance or fitness store. There are many to choose from, we recommend Polestars. They sell adult hula-hoops on their website and offer free nationwide shipping on every order.

Health Benefits of Hula Hooping

I’m not much of a fit-aholic. In fact, if I am at all aware that I’m working out, I immediately want to go home and eat pizza. Give me a challenge to learn a new trick on the other hand and I’m game. Reps just don’t cut it for me, so when I see someone do something that looks a little bit like circus magic, I want in. When I started out, all I could dream of was to keep the hoop going, then I desperately wanted to learn chest hooping, then hooping on my legs.

By the time I’d conquered these I was teaching a beginners course and with all the practice I honed my tricks from gangly passes to fluid expressions of movement. It was super satisfying and my whole class was enjoying themselves. Those that were there to lose weight or keep fit, quickly forgot about it and just had a really good time. They were also thrilled at the end of the 6-week course to learn that they had lost on average an inch and a half off both hips and waist and burned 100 calories every fifteen minutes. That’s a Jaffa Cake every five minutes. Sometimes I will stop to have a Jaffa Cake every five minutes.

The Numbers

A recent study by the American Center for Exercise found that hula hooping burns around 210 calories per 30-minute session – a similar amount to a boot camp or cardio-kickboxing session. The ACE study suggests that given the variety of movements in hooping it should be considered a total-body workout that has the potential to improve your flexibility and balance while strengthening and toning the muscles of the back, abdomen, arms and legs.

Social Hooping

Not only is hula hooping a great fitness pursuit, but it really brings people together. I was temping a while back and didn’t really have time to get to know any of the other girls on my floor. I popped an email around and invited the girls to hoop at lunchtime. Within a few weeks there was a veritable army taking 10-minute de-stress hooping breaks, 1hr hooping lunch breaks (Jaffa every 5) and even going up onto the roof of the building on sunny days and hooping out there while we looked out over London.

Last winter three of us went up to the roof in several inches of snow and hooped with joy as the snowflakes fell around us! Some of the gang liked to learn the tricks, some just liked to chat and waist hoop, but everyone was having fun. During days in the park over the summer, I would constantly find that hooping was a great way of meeting new people. Some would come over and say ‘can I have a go?’ and others would just like to watch me hoop dance and ask me about it.

I once inadvertently sat near a group that had also bought hoops to the park and we trick-swapped over our picnics. A friend of mine took a theatre show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year and I promised him a 1:1 hoop lesson to give out as an auction prize. A few weeks ago the winner – a lovely bloke called Olly – came to the car park round the back of my house to learn a few tricks. The light faded and there were fireworks going on locally.

For the last 15 minutes as a little treat, I wheeled out my LED hoop and Olly smiled broadly as he showed off his new moves with light dancing around him. I even took my travel hoop to Turkey for the last two years of holidays and my holiday chums are getting into it. There we are in our bikinis, hooping by the pool, or drunk and strangely better at it… Last weekend I was hooping in my Dad’s back garden with my Dad in his mid-60s, my sister at 40 and both my nieces under 10. What a brilliant sight!

Find a Hula group

If you’re a complete beginner, there are plenty of hula hooping courses and one off lessons throughout the UK. Hula hoop classes have even become a popular hen party activity. Once you’ve got a little experience under your hoop, you can generally find regular hooping groups at a local gym or online.

Conclusion

So, what’s the big draw? Is it the bright colours, the fitness, the sociability? I think it’s more than that, it’s primal, we’ve all been dancing since the dawn of humanity and with a bit of plastic you can be caught up in the wheel of life, turning and throwing and spinning. In the greater part of my time I am an improvisational comedian. It means that I exist only in the moment, I listen and remember and feel what is going on around me and tune in with it. Hooping does the same thing for me and it’s lovely to be lost in concentration and flow. Pick one up, drop it, pick it up and get hooping!

Written by Katy Schutte. When she’s not hooping, Katy teaches a variety of dancing styles and improv comedy workshops in London for Polestars.

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Another winter season means another struggle to keep trim. It’s the never-ending question: how do I stay fit during the holidays and into the New Year?

The answer: develop healthy habits.

You can take as much advice from friends and read all the tips in magazines about how to lose weight. However, the best way to stay healthy, and not only over the holidays is to develop healthy habits.

The bad news: it’s hard. You can’t sugar coat the process of converting to a healthy lifestyle. It’s hard work to develop healthy habits. And there are no shortcuts you can take.

TED talk earlier this year.

For a healthier lifestyle, try something new for 30 days. See if it sticks. However, be vigilant: commit to making the change for one month. If you can do it, you’ve got a new healthy habit.

So what’s the payoff? In the end, the benefits you get from a healthy lifestyle are addicting. You’ll love the way you feel when you’re living healthy. You won’t want to go back to being unhealthy. You’ll be happier, healthier and it will be easy to stay that way, once you’ve developed those healthy habits.

Take the plunge into a healthy lifestyle in 2012: here’s how you can do it.

Alternatives to Empty Calories

So you’re in the habit of ordering a Starbucks White Chocolate Frappuccino with whipped cream. Instead, in 2012, try drinking tea at work for 30 days. Whether it’s hot or cold, you’re still getting the caffeine and a tasty drink. Plus, it will save your waistline and your wallet. If the habit sticks, then you’ve won. However, remember: it won’t be easy. The temptation of Starbucks will lure you in. Resist it by remembering your goal: develop good habits for a healthy lifestyle.

Alternatives to Fast Food

That fast food addiction should be the first thing to go in 2012. Though a Burger King Triple Whopper might taste great going down, your waistline is hurting from it. Kick the habit by bringing your own lunch from home for 30 days: see if your new habit sticks. If after 30 days, you’re still craving, find the best fast food nutrition  by comparing menu items side-by-side. There are healthy alternatives atfast-food restaurants,  and the key to a new lifestyle in 2012 is developing the healthyhabits. .

You can start developing healthy habits any time you want. Just commit to 30 days and see if it sticks.

Brandon Coakley is a recent graduate of UC Santa Barbara, and a business development manager at FindTheBest Health, which helps users find their best health options on everything from the Best Nursing Homes to Mammography Facilities.  

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Every Tom, Dick, and Harry has jumped on the multi-vitamin train, but do the all-in-one-pills really give you everything you need? What about joint pain? Back pain? Is there some vitamin or mineral that is absent from your diet that could help with that?

From my experience, multi-vitamins are a good start, but they aren’t the entirety of the vitamin world. Here are five vitamins and minerals that do more than you thought they could.

1. Vitamin C for the immune system – It’s so simple that you might just miss it. Vitamin C is a miracle vitamin. You can’t overdose on it, and it cooperates with your body to fight off infection. What about pain? If you’ve ever had the flu, you know how illness can make your body hurt everywhere. Sometimes you don’t even recognize when you have an infection. Take vitamin C and fight it off before it spreads out of control

2. Dolomite for back pain – A type of calcium, this supplement is a natural source of magnesium also. The odd and delightful thing about Dolomite is that it helps back pain. Now, I’ve slipped a disk or two in my time, and I know what it’s like to experience real back pain. I experimented with all the pain meds and anti-inflammatories, but they did virtually nothing for me. Then I started taking Dolomite. A couple pills a day, and a month later the pain was gone just gone.

3. Dolomite for nerve pain – I know I’ve already spoken to you about Dolomite for back pain, but it works miracles for nerve pain also. Have you ever irritated your sciatic nerve? You know; the big one that goes down from your back into your leg? If you have, you have experienced nerve pain. Dolomite releases that pain. It works wonderfully for pinched nerves in your neck and shoulders also.

4. Chondroitin and glucosamine for joint pain – There are many variations of joint supplements, but these two ingredients are what to look for. They cooperate with your body to permit joints to move freely, without pain. Perfect for people with arthritis; the quantities may vary depending on the manufacturer, so follow the directions on the bottle.

5. Cranberry juice for kidney, liver, and bladder pain – I know; cranberry juice is not a vitamin or supplement. However, it does work. Get the whole fruit variety, and check the back to make sure it is not predominantly grape juice. Drink a few glasses a day and your pain will diminish. Urinary tract infections are very common, and agonizing, but regular cranberry juice cleanses will help to thwart them.

Vitamins are not panaceas. They can’t remedy everything. However, handling the underlying source of your pain is the first step to getting rid of it forever.  Try some of these supplements today, and give them a little time to work. You might be amazed by the results.

Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny background check tips etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015@gmail.com

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