Lose weight for life with these weight loss tips | Holland & Barrett | Holland & Barrett – the UK’s Leading Health Retailer

Hello lovely followers,

So some of you may know that since becoming 40 a few years ago I have been trying to be a more healthy person. It’s not as easy as it sounds! In 2015 I managed to get 7lbs away from my goal weight which was still a whole stone away from my ‘healthy recommended weight’ but that was fine by me I would be out of the ‘obese’ category, however, I never actually made it. At the beginning of May I realised that I was heavier than I was a year ago (only by a few pounds but it’s still a depressing fact), so I have  given myself a mental shake and decided that I need to re-focus my efforts! I still belong to My Fitness Pal and continue to join ‘challenges’ to help me maintain a higher level of activity but I have also kick-started my journey by doing the NHS Choices 12 week weight loss plan again because it really helped me last year to physically write a log.

Anyway, I bought a few suppliments from Holland & Barrett and I found this article and I thought that I would share it with you.

Feel free to leave a comment

 

If you want to lose weight, get weight loss tips, flat stomach exercises and easy ways to stay slim for life, all at Holland & Barrett.

It’s not unusual to want to lose weight, but – as a nation – our waistlines are out of control. The NHS says 26 per cent of British adults are now obese, and this figure looks set to increase. But you can uncover the best weight loss tips and step off the scales for good.

Do I need to lose weight?

The easiest way to find out is to calculate your BMI. Simply divide your weight (kilograms) by your height (metres), then divide the answer by your height again. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25, overweight is between 25 and 29.9, and anything over 30 is obese. Being overweight or obese has serious health consequences; you have an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and certain cancers.

What’s making you fat?

Lack of exercise, processed foods, and poor sleep have all been linked to weight gain. In the past decade, technology has also had a big impact on our lifestyle habits – computers, mobile phones and games consoles all give us fewer reasons to get up and move around.

Our busy lives are also very stressful, a major cause of weight gain. Within a few minutes of being stressed the body releases cortisol, which leads to blood sugar cravings, insulin resistance and weight gain. A muffin top is a sure sign your extra weight is stress-induced; the liver turns excess sugar into fat, and the liver’s first port of call for storing fat is around the middle.

One reason we’re not putting on weight is a slower metabolism as we age; it’s a myth. The fact is, as we get older we tend to be less active and eat more, and that’s why we put on weight.

Top five weight loss tips

Why not combine the five golden rules below for the quickest way to lose weight?

1. Exercise is key. One of the best ways to lose weight is to exercise every day. Plus, if you build muscle, you’ll also boost your resting metabolism – the rate at which your body burns calories at rest. You’ll also boost production of the feel-good chemical serotonin, increasing your happiness levels so overeating is less likely.
2. Get lean with coffee beans. Research has revealed those taking a green coffee bean extract lost just over a stone, or 10 per cent of their body weight! It’s thought a compound called chlorogenic acid, found in the unroasted beans, may influence glucose and fat metabolism.
3. Stop guessing portion sizes. Eating too much is guaranteed to make you put on weight. Stock your kitchen with portioned foods in serving containers ahead of time, so you’ve always got food to hand that’s ready to eat in the right-sized amounts when you’re hungry.
4. Sip green tea. Numerous studies have shown green tea can help you lose weight. It’s thought the fragrant cuppa could help the body burn calories and fat. What’s not to like?!
5. Eat mindfully. Mindful eating encourages us to focus on what you’re consuming. Pause for a few moments to focus on the experience of eating and your sense of satiety. This helps switch off the appetite centre in the brain when you’re full, so you can lose weight more easily.

Want more ways to shape up for summer? Find more diet and weight loss tips today.

Source: Lose weight for life with these weight loss tips | Holland & Barrett | Holland & Barrett – the UK’s Leading Health Retailer

Friday Five: Reasons why school office staff are awesome | News

Hello lovely followers,

Ok, so I’ve mentioned it before; I work part-time at a local primary school as a Teaching Assistant. I frequently visit the TES website as they have a wealth of resources to help in the clasroom, a great comminity forum that offers advice and support for anyone who works within the education sector and an informative news section that helps me to keep up to date.

I thought that I would share this article with you; it made me smile.  I think that I will print it off and give it to the two lovely ladies in the office at our school….

Feel free to leave a comment

 

If you need extra detention slips or cheering up after another tricky day, who ya gonna call? The school office team, of course

To the untrained eye, it looks as though governors and senior leadership teams are in charge of the nation’s schools. But the seasoned pros among us know that it is, in fact, the school office staff who hold the reins.

Here are five reasons why school office staff are so awesome:

1. They are peace negotiators
   School receptionists are on the front line when it comes to incoming enemy fire. Everybody from a fuming parent to an Ofsted inspector will be greeted with a smile that seems to de-escalate any crisis situation in an instant. 
2. They are nurses
   Despite the fact that they are constantly on the go, it falls to the office staff to be chief caregivers when the school nurse is otherwise engaged. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen the admin assistant simultaneously offer sympathy, administer an ice pack and field a phone call about yet another lost PE kit. 
3. They are possessors of all knowledge
   Where does the money for the theatre trip go? Who’s covering Year 11? What happens if I press this? The school office team can reel off the answers to your questions faster than you can say “education reform”. And they’ll do it with that smile. 
4. They are the voice of reason
   If you find yourself getting obsessed with the seating plan for junior speech night, or tearing your hair out over a wonky display board, it’s time to visit the school office. This sanctuary of normalcy, where people talk about real things, will make you forget to panic about the fact that your glue sticks aren’t sticky enough. 
5. They are the keepers of useful things
   In desperate need of a nail file/stamp/Mother’s Day card/hayfever tablet? The school office can provide all this and more, without a charge. And always with that charming smile. 

Chris Powell was talking to Nicola Davison. He is a professional mentor, head of year and geography teacher at Parmiter’s School in Hertfordshire

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES on Twitter and like TES on Facebook

Source: Friday Five: Reasons why school office staff are awesome | News

6 steps to weight loss without trying | Holland & Barrett – the UK’s Leading Health Retailer

Hello lovely followers,

So some of you may know that since becoming 40 a few years ago I have been trying to be a more healthy person. It’s not as easy as it sounds! In 2015 I managed to get 7lbs away from my goal weight which was still a whole stone away from my ‘healthy recommended weight’ but that was fine by me, however, I never actually made it. At the beginning of May I realised that I was heavier than I was a year ago (only by a few pounds but it’s still a depressing fact), so I have  given myself a mental shake and decided that I need to re-focus my efforts! I still belong to My Fitness Pal and continue to join ‘challenges’ to help me maintain a higher level of activity but I have also kick-started my journey by doing the NHS Choices 12 week weight loss plan again because it really helped me last year to physically write a log.

Anyway, I found this article on the Holland & Barrett website while browsing ‘health and weight loss tips’ and I thought that I would share it with you.

Feel free to leave a comment

 

Looking to lose weight healthily and keep it off? Try these easy diet tips for weight loss with minimal effort.

6 steps to weight loss – without trying!

Dieting is rarely fun, but there are ways to give yourself a helping hand which are surprisingly hassle-free. We’ve put together six simple suggestions that are easy to build in to your day. They don’t take much time or money, so what have you got to lose (except a few inches)?

Just relax…

Can chilling out really help you drop the pounds (provided you don’t do it with a grab-bag of crisps in front of the TV, of course!)? Well, there’s some evidence that being stressed or tired can lead to weight gain. Effective relaxation (such as meditation) that reduces your stress levels and helps you drop off at night should mean you’re less likely to reach for unhealthy snacks.

Eat more fat

If you’re dieting, you could well be browsing the low-fat options at the supermarket believing you’re boosting your chances of weight-loss success. But many foods labelled ‘low fat’ have just as many calories in the form of added sugar. To save yourself hours of label-checking, opt for coconut oil – it’s not low-fat, but adding a couple of tablespoons to your diet has been found to help reduce fat around your middle.

Don’t diet!

Massively changing your eating habits can have an effect on your weight – but it’s unlikely to last. A strict regime generally isn’t sustainable over the longterm, so as soon as you start eating normally again, you’ll put the weight back on. There’s also the possibility that a restrictive diet can be harmful to your health if you’re not getting a range of nutrients. Instead, it’s better to lose weight gradually through a combination of exercise and sensible eating.

Reorganise the kitchen

A good tidy-up will burn a few calories – and could save you a load more in the long run. Putting a variety of healthy nibbles within easy reach will help prevent you grabbing sugary snacks. Even better, get those naughty snacks out of the kitchen altogether – if they’re not there, you can’t eat them! Move your small plates to the front of the cupboard and use them for meals: this is a simple way of exercising portion control.

Have a drink

Keep sipping water throughout the day to stay hydrated – sometimes we think we’re hungry when our body is really craving fluids. Try adding a slice of lemon, cucumber or some fresh mint to your water to ring the changes; herbal teas or no-added-sugar cordials are other low-calorie options. Even better, green tea has been shown to help you lose weight, so get the kettle on!

Get back to your roots

One weight-loss supplement of proven effectiveness is Konjac Fibre (also known as glucomannan), which is taken from the root of a tropical Asian plant. Try it as a substitute for pasta or take a supplement before meals – it’s been found to reduce weight when 1g is consumed three times a day with an energy-restricted diet.

References

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3740553/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4394987/
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11745-009-3306-6
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1798

Source: 6 steps to weight loss without trying | Holland & Barrett – the UK’s Leading Health Retailer

Loss of school librarians is ‘a national scandal’ | News

Hello lovely followers,

As many of you already know, I work part-time at a local primary school as a Teaching Assistant. I frequently visit the TES website as they have a wealth of resources to help in the clasroom, a great comminity forum that offers advice and support for anyone who works within the education sector and an informative news section that helps me to keep up to date.
I love to read and as many of you are fellow book bloggers/reviewers, I thought that I would share this article with you about the sad state of affairs in Scottish schools. It’s so sad libraries and I’m sure that libraries in England and Wales are facing similar threats. It has given me the desire to train to become a school librarian once I’ve completed the Supporting Learning and Teaching in Schools level 3 certificate that I currently enrolled in.

As always feel free to leave a comment.

🙂

 

TESS survey reveals wide variations in access to qualified staff, as councils make cuts amid shrinking budgets.

TESS survey reveals wide variations in access to qualified staff, as councils make cuts amid shrinking budgets

The access that Scottish secondary pupils have to qualified school librarians varies wildly between councils and even within them, TESS research reveals, prompting concerns about the emergence of a “two-tier system” as budgets tighten.

Our survey of councils comes as East Renfrewshire and Falkirk councils move from having a qualified librarian in all secondaries to having one for every two schools. Scottish Borders Council is also reviewing how it staffs school libraries, and Argyll and Bute plans to cut all of its secondary school librarian posts from August.

The TESS survey reveals, meanwhile, that East Ayrshire employs no qualified librarians; its school libraries are staffed only by assistants.

This is akin to replacing teachers with classroom assistants, said Duncan Wright, the school librarian spearheading the campaign to save Scotland’s school libraries. The lack of access suffered by some pupils has also been branded a “national scandal” by leading children’s author Theresa Breslin.

However, our survey on school libraries shows that the picture is not entirely gloomy: around a third of councils (11 out of 32) continue to run their libraries with qualified staff.

But of “major concern” are the 19 councils where provision varies from one school to the next, said Mr Wright. These councils are in danger of diluting further what is on offer, he said, and he called on the Scottish government to act.

A Scottish government spokesperson said that libraries continued to “play an important role in local authority schools” and that it was funding pilot projects in every local authority area so that children automatically become library members.

This is an edited article from the 20 May edition of TES. Subscribers can read the full article here. This week’s TES magazine is available in all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES on Twitter and like TES on Facebook

Source: Loss of school librarians is ‘a national scandal’ | News

Top 10 plants for a modern cottage garden – David Domoney

Hello lovely followers,

I love nothing more than sitting in my garden with a nice cup of tea and my Kindle.

I was glued to the recent BBC coverage of RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the desire to transform my little patch into an English cottage garden has been re-ignited. However. I am short on talent, even shorter on cash and suffer with fluctuating inclination 😉 but I would like to make a start this year…

Our girls are now older, the unused trampoline at the bottom of the garden can now be dismantled and taken to the tip (I wouldn’t feel safe passing it onto anyone, I think it’s only the moss and ivy that’s holding it together) and I might even put a sweeping curvy edge to our currently very narrow straight flower borders.

I found this article when browsing the internet and apart from the grasses (Hubby does not recognise ‘grass’ as as a valid plant choice, he gets quite huffy when the Lily of the Valley creep into his lawn) I think I should make a start with these…

 

 

---

 

Shelli Jensen/Shutterstock.com

Cottage gardens are having a revival. Annuals and perennials are jostling for attention in riotous borders up and down the country. Plants are spilling over winding paths.

But there’s something different about this new wave of cottage gardens. Traditionally, the land around cottages was used as a small farm, designed to grow fruit and veg for the family who lived there.

Scorpp/Shutterstock.com

Modern cottage gardens are ornamental rather than simply practical. And the wild, informal appearance is deceptive – these gardens have been carefully designed. Beds are planted in drifts and thoughtfully combine shapes, heights, colours and textures.

Here are my top 10 plants to get a modern cottage look in your own garden.

1 Rose

Studio64/Shutterstock.com

It’s the classic British garden plant, and so versatile. Train climbers up walls and over arches, grow hybrid teas in borders and choose neat miniatures for the patio.

2 Helenium

terimma/Shutterstock.com

These have stunning flowers, like daisies with petals that form a skirt. They bring hot summer colours to beds and borders.

3 Hollyhock

Panya7/Shutterstock.com

A typical cottage plant that provides height interest. The tall flower spires are a great backdrop for smaller, more delicate plants in front.

4 Cornflower

Robert Biedermann/Shutterstock.com

This annual plant is easy to grow and has striking blue flowers. Plants with tall thin stems and bright flowers always look at home in a cottage garden.

5 Miscanthus

Akaphon/Shutterstock.com

Grasses are sorely underused in garden design. They sway gently in the breeze, adding texture and a weightless feel to borders.

6 Penstemon

Goran Bogicevic/Shutterstock.com

Bell-shaped flowers brighten up any border and bloom in late summer, when other plants start to fade.

7 Foxglove

patjo/Shutterstock.com

A self-seeding cottage garden plant with stunning displays of flower spires. Its colourful tubes are full of nectar, making them perfect for pollinators like bees.

8 Poppy

Nataliia K/Shutterstock.com

Annual poppies remind me of wildflower meadows and will grow almost anywhere. They freely offer up their seeds, so harvest them in autumn and sow again in spring.

9 Delphinium

Svetlana Danilova/Shutterstock.com

Strong deep blue flower spires push through the chaotic planting in beds and can reach six feet tall. Feed regularly during growing season.

10 Sweet pea

Jeannette Katzir Photog/Shutterstock.com

An annual climbing plant that will throw out pink and purple blooms and a sweet scent in late spring and summer.

Source: Top 10 plants for a modern cottage garden – David Domoney

Lose weight from your waist | Holland & Barrett | Holland & Barrett – the UK’s Leading Health Retailer

Hello lovely followers,

So some of you may know that since becoming 40 a few years ago I have been trying to be a more healthy person. It’s not as easy as it sounds! In 2015 I managed to get 7lbs away from my goal weight which was still a whole stone away from my ‘healthy recommended weight’ but that was fine by me I would be out of the ‘obese’ category, however, I never actually made it. At the beginning of May I realised that I was heavier than I was a year ago (only by a few pounds but it’s still a depressing fact), so I have  given myself a mental shake and decided that I need to re-focus my efforts! I still belong to My Fitness Pal and continue to join the various ‘challenges’ to help me maintain a higher level of activity (I’m a couch potato at heart) but I have also kick-started my journey by doing the NHS Choices 12 week weight loss plan again because it really helped me back in 2015 to physically write a log.

Anyway, I have an hour glass figure, i.e. my boobs are just a few inches bigger than my hips and my waist is a lot smaller but I still look out for well written posts about exercises that I can try. I’m not going to fork out and buy any special equipment but the Holland & Barrett website had the article below which has a couple of nice exercises that I’m going to try….

Feel free to leave a comment

Losing weight isn’t just about counting calories; it’s about burning them too. At Holland & Barrett, find the best exercise to lose weight, plus some flat-stomach moves.

If you really want to whittle your waist, eating a healthy balanced diet is important, but regular exercise is vital – if you’re not burning off more calories than you take in, the pounds can creep on.

The good news? You don’t have to hit the gym for hours. Staying active in your day-to-day life can make a dramatic difference.

Apart from burning calories, exercise also works to control your sugar cravings. A study by the University of Exeter discovered even a fifteen-minute walk can reduce the urge to eat chocolate. The feel-good chemicals triggered during exercise may biologically dampen our cravings, or it could simply be that working out is a distraction from thinking about food.

Follow these tummy toners

The best way to lose weight is with cardiovascular exercise, such as cycling or jogging, but you can also work your way to flat abs with these specific moves.

 

1. Medicine Ball Heel SlidesLie on your back holding a light medicine ball. Set your lower back midway between fully flattened and fully arched. Lift your feet up and hold the medicine ball straight up in front of you. Engage your abdominals to ensure the mid-point in your lower back is maintained while you slowly straighten one leg out towards the floor. Simultaneously lower the medicine ball behind you until it touches the floor. Return to the start position and repeat, this time straightening the other leg. Perform 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps.

 

1. Walking PlankStart in a plank position with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders, with a straight line from your ears to your ankles. Keep your back flat, without over-arching. One hand at a time, push yourself up into a press-up position. Then, one at a time, return to the elbow plank position, keeping your abdominals engaged throughout, to stabilise your lower back as your torso rotates, lifts and lowers.

 

1. Side Plank And Heel LiftPerform a side plank, keeping your elbow directly underneath your shoulder with one foot on top of the other. Make sure you are not only in a straight line from the front, but also from the side – try not to arch your lower back and poke your bum out. Maintain this position while you lift your top leg up, hold for five seconds, then return to the start position. Perform the leg lift slowly 3-10 times, or until you feel you can no longer maintain good form. Repeat on the opposite side.

 

1. Roll-Outs On The BallPlace your elbows on a stability ball with your knees behind you so that your weight is on the ball. Keep your lower back in a mid-point position while tightening your tummy muscles. Roll the ball forwards so your hips extend, increasing the gap between your knees and the ball. Keep your tummy muscles tight throughout and avoid letting the arch in your lower back increase. Roll the ball out out as far as your can, then back in to the start position, flexing at the hip as you go. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-20 reps.

 

Get more great weight loss tips in our diet and weight loss guides.

Source: Lose weight from your waist | Holland & Barrett | Holland & Barrett – the UK’s Leading Health Retailer