How to motivate yourself to exercise

Last week we discussed why exercise is so important, regardless of age and current physical condition. Today I thought it would be helpful to discuss how you can get yourself motivated to put on those trainers and get moving, because this can be very difficult and often is the obstacle that prevents people from exercising at all.

Focusing on the positive things you will get out of exercise is a great way of motivating yourself. Whether that’s the decreasing number on the bathroom scale, the cupboard full of clothes you will soon be wearing again, or even just the buzz and rush you feel once you’ve completed a work-out session of some kind. Focus on these positive thoughts and feelings and you will be happy to lace up your trainers and head out the door.

Finding success stories to read or even following blogs of others who are undertaking a health and fitness overhaul will offer a wealth of both inspiration and motivation. It is very helpful to read about others who are in a similar position to yourself and experiencing the same struggles, difficulties and set-backs.

Working out with a friend or family member is another great way of gaining motivation. Not only does it make the whole experience more fun, it also makes it less likely that you will miss a session, as you won’t want to let them down.

Finding exercise that you find fun is the best way of sticking to it. If you really hate going to the gym, then try something else. Aerobics classes, dance classes, tennis lessons, joining a swimming club - there are plenty of ways to be active without finding it boring or too much of a chore. Try lots of different things until you hit upon an activity or class that you can’t wait to go to every week.

If anyone has any other suggestions on how to motivate yourself to exercise please feel free to write them below.

Why exercise is important at any age

Exercise and activity is one of the most important ways in which we can keep ourselves healthy. Even if you have never taken exercise seriously it is never too late to start as exercise is good for your health at any age. An active lifestyle has shown to limit the chances of developing serious illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes and even cancer.

As we get older, people are less likely to engage in regular exercise, when in fact this is just the time to be stepping it up as the best way to delay the aging process and keep our heath in tip top shape is through exercise. The aging process can weaken bones and joints and make our bodies more susceptible to illness, but exercise can lessen the effects or even prevent them altogether. Even if walking up stairs leaves you huffing and puffing, regular exercise can build your body up until you are bounding up those stairs, leaving much younger people in your wake.

Older people are often more reluctant to exercise, believing perhaps it will be too strenuous or difficult, but research has shown the opposite is actually true. Furthermore, exercise doesn’t have to be an exhausting sweat session that leaves you stiff for days. It can just be a fun activity that you enjoy doing that does nothing more than raise the heartbeat.

With exercise it is important to start small. Making small changes to our everyday lives - for example taking the stairs instead of the life, will add up to huge changes. Ideally, 30 minutes of light exercise everyday is needed, but you can just start with 10 minutes. Even 5 minutes is better than nothing. Taking that first step is all that is needed because as you get more comfortable and confident that you can do, you will automatically want to increase the time until you are doing at least 30 minutes a day.

Whatever your age or whatever your fitness level, exercise is a vital part of your health. It is not too late to start and you will feel the benefits straight away. Has anyone any good ways of staying fit without exhausting and straining yourself in the process?

Eating Better for Less

Eating well is incredibly important for our overall health and wellness, but a complaint that is often made is that it simply costs too much. The high cost of organic food in particular makes it unaffordable for the majority of people which does seem strange when surely letting nature do its job uninhibited costs less than using machinery to cover crops in pesticides?

Anyway, organic food aside, it is still possible to eat very well even on a modest budget. Here are a few ideas on how you can feed your family the very best and ensure their health is of the very highest standard.

Cut down on expensive cuts of meat in favour of milk and eggs for protein. Milk and eggs are far cheaper and just as protein rich as any cut of meat and fish. There’s no need to enforce vegetarianism onto your family, just have fun searching for a couple of vegetarian recipes each week and increase the family’s consumption of milk and fresh eggs to retain high protein levels.

Only eat what is in season. It is so easy to load your trolley up at the supermarket with whatever fruits or veg are looking good that day, but if you only purchase those that are in season then you will save a packet. Ideally it is best to shop at farmers’ markets, as here you will automatically be buying only produce that is in season, what’s more you are contributing your community and helping the environment by eating locally sourced food.

Develop a taste for beans and pulses. These are probably the most inexpensive sources of nutrition available and they are packed with vitamins and protein. Any type of pulse or bean will load you up with vitamins, keep you feeling full for longer and reduce your monthly spend on food. Kids love them too!

Ditch the fizzy drinks. They are laden with sugar, cost a fortune when drunk in high quantities and do nothing to help your reach your daily nutritional needs. Instead you could try a supermarket’s own brand of fizzy water mixed with a splash of cordial or even fruit juice of some kind.

Invest in a high quality vitamin supplement. Just to make doubly sure than everyone is fit as a fiddle, it is a good idea to purchase a bumper pack of an all round vitamin supplement. Although there is a small price to pay up front, the long term health benefits far outweigh the cost.

There you have it, a few ideas to help keep those food bills down whilst eating very well. If anyone has any other ideas of information on how to save money whilst eating only the best, send in your comments below.

Spring Clean your Makeup

Makeup and cosmetics like creams and perfumes all have a shelf life. Continuing to use beauty products after a certain period of time can leave you at risk from spreading bacteria and developing infections. It is important to spring clean your makeup every year to ensure that it stays fresh and totally hygienic.

The first thing to do is go through your collection and putting everything you haven’t used over the past year into a pile. Next step is easy - throw it away. This may be hard if something expensive is included, but it not a good idea to use creams or makeup that have been left for this amount of time.

With whatever is left, go through each item checking its colour, consistency and smell. Anything that has developed an odour, changed colour or changed in its consistency should also be thrown away. This is especially true of creams, mascara and liquid foundations.

At this point your collection could have shrunk dramatically. There is still work to do however. With the remaining items, try and work out when you purchased them. A mascara for example has only a shelf life of 6 months because of the sensitive nature of the eyes. Your mascara may look ok, smell ok and have a normal texture, but if you have been using it on a off for more than 6 months, it is time to part ways and throw it out. As a rule, powdered makeup has a shelf life of a year, pencils about 3 years, and liquids including foundations and creams, about 6 months. Anything that you have in your collection that has been open for longer than these periods should go.

Next is the good part where you get to purchase brand new stuff! You may feel sad and hard done by that you had to throw away what seemed like perfectly good cosmetics, but the bright side is you get to replace them.

Have any of you experienced the negative effects of old makeup or cosmetics? Send in your comments below.

Magnesium Citrate

When you think about maintaining healthy and strong bones, you tend to immediately think of calcium which we are all taught ensures strong teeth and bones from a very young age. Calcium is certainly an important mineral for our bodies, but what you hear less about is the role of magnesium in the preservation of bones.

Magnesium works alongside calcium to keep our bones, tissues and muscles strong. Dairy products like milk and cheese are high in calcium, but low in magnesium levels, so it’s better to rely on green, leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds for your main source of calcium, as this will give you the magnesium you need too. Rather like a two for one deal!

Low levels of magnesium can leave the body susceptible to cardiovascular disease as studies have shown sufferers to have low levels in their hearts. Muscles are more prone to spasms when there is insufficient magnesium in the body, and even induce heart attacks as the heart itself goes into spasm. British diets do tend to be a little low on the magnesium side due to the lack of leafy vegetables contained within the majority of diets, so a supplement would be a sensible idea if you feel this sounds a bit like you.

Magnesium Citrate is available at Baldwin’s and at the moment it is on special offer. Buy one, and you get another one free. Of course, nothing is better for our minds and bodies than a good healthy diet, and plenty of exercise, but there is no harm in giving ourselves a little helping hand through one or two supplements.

Do any of you take Magnesium Citrate? Have you found it to have any affects on your body? Send in your comments below.

How to get rid of headaches

Headaches and migraines are a common problem and can easily ruin a perfectly good day. Here are a few ideas on how to rid yourself of a headache in both the short and long term.

Avoid processed food
Don’t consume anything that is not totally natural when you have a headache. In particular avoid monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and preservatives which are often found in man-made, processed food. These types of foods create work for the body to digest which means your headache is likely to continue as the body goes into overtime dealing with these substances.

Drink water
Dehydration is one of the major causes of headaches, and even other illnesses. Water helps the kidneys function and removes toxins from the body. Drink 2 litres of water every day.

Keep blood sugar levels constant
Don’t skip any meals as this will affect your blood sugar levels. Include plenty of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and pulses.

Avoid chemicals
Chemical smells from perfume, deodorant, shampoos, cigarette smoke and other nasties can all contribute to the onslaught of a headache or migraine. Switch to natural shampoos, conditioners and other cosmetics to avoid this. Natural oils can be used instead of manufactured perfumes and natural cleaning products should replace chemical varieties.

Relieve stress
Don’t be afraid of gentle exercise when you have a headache. This is an excellent way of relieving stress which can reduce the severity of a headache. Yoga, meditation or even just abdominal breathing can also help.

Holistic Therapies
Acupuncture and acupressure points is effective for relieving pain from a headache. Try applying a moderate pressure to the webbing between the thumb and forefinger on both hands for 30-60 seconds. There are other places on the face, head and at the back of the skull that can help when pressure is applied. Massage, reflexology and hypnotherapy have also been shown to help battle migraine sufferers.

Have any of you any other ideas of how to combat headaches and migraines? Send in your comments below.

Flexitol Skin-Nourishing Oil

The question of how to repair damaged or blemished skin often comes up, and I am happy to report that the Flexitol atomiser spray goes a very long way in helping to provide an answer. It is designed specifically to nourish skin with herbal extracts and essential oils that not only rejuvenates tired skin, but also promotes the production of new, healthy skin cells.

It helps to hide a multitude of blemishes that commonly occur on skin such as stretch marks, scars, uneven skin tone and age spots. It rehydrates skin and protects it against harsh pollutants in our environments that result from car fumes, cigarette smoke and other airborne chemicals. I often find skin treatments are too greasy for my skin, however Flexitol doesn’t seem to be greasy at all. I really like the spraying aspect as it makes it very quick and easy to use.

Only natural ingredients are found in this product and include:

Hyperloum Oil - well know for its soothing properties
Rose Hip Oil - for battling the appearance of scars and wrinkles and minimising the visible signs of aging. Rose Hip Oil also helps to balance skin tone and colour.
Calendula - soothes skin and provides dry skin with the moisture it needs whilst promoting cell growth.
Everlasting Oil - promotes cell growth and has anti-oxidant qualities
Arnlea Oil - has soothing properties for your skin
Lavender Oil - this is well known for its antiseptic qualities

I am always looking for effective, all natural skin treatments, and Flexitol offers a lot for the money. Currently at Baldwins this product is on special offer and you can get 100% extra free if you buy now.

Have any of you tried Flexitol Atomiser Spray? Did you like it or feel that it left you unsatisfied? Send in your comments below or even write your own review!