The one with the Pedometer Trial

I’m currently testing various items from the HoMedics Range and quite frankly love em all!!

The lovely Elaine from the PR company has now sent me a pedometer, I shall quote a small paragraph from her – “Walking is a great way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Using the HoMedics MiBody 360 Pedometer (£49.99) you can track your movements, keeping count of steps, distance and calories burnt. The clever 3D accelerometer technology ensures the pedometer works in your pocket, in a bag or round your neck, with a 15 day memory the unit can remind you of your hard work while the results can be uploaded to your PC for further analysis.”

So with pedometer attached I began my week. Firstly you log into the pedometer and add in the time, date and your stride (you need to measure this). Putting the time and date in is rather important, as then the pedometer knows when to zero itself. I’ve not stayed watching it at midnight so have assumed this is the cut off time.

Each day you place the pedometer round your neck and walk, well just assume your usual day’s activities really. It counts your steps and measures the amount of km walked in the day. Then zeros at midnight. I logged into my laptop this evening and hooked the pedometer up, you get a nice little graph showing you steps/distance walked each day and calories used. It was a scary sight of total laziness this week!

I’ve tried it round my neck on the lanyard provided and also in a pocket, apparently you can drop it into your handbag too and it STILL works! I even popped it in my sock when I rode the exercise bike and it worked! So not only does it count steps it counts ‘activity’ too.

My main gripe about bog-standard pedometers is the awful clicking sound, every time you take a step click, click, click – really annoying! And it means you can’t wear them discreetly either. This funky new pedometer is silent, and looks rather trendy – it has the look of a Wii about it really.

I do rather like my addition to my HoMedics Collection, but now need to stop writing and go for a walk, as I have come to the conclusion I have too sedentary a job with only 2000 steps taken during a working day – eek!

As to be healthy you need to be doing 10,000 I have a hefty 8,000 to make up now, cripes better get my trainers on!!

Tony Fergusson Weight Loss System - not for me...

Tony Ferguson...hmmm...I’m not convinced. I’ve been giving the Boots exclusive Tony Ferguson Weight Loss programme a whirl but hit upon a few snags.

Price, I’ve tried the shakes at £1.99 a go, some soup and Munch Bars which are equally as expensive. So I was a little on the back foot before I began, still a little box of items were in the kitchen at the ready so I began.

Day one I decided on a strawberry shake for breakfast – I made it up in my nice pink shaker, which I love. But euch!!!! How sweet?? Ooh I did not like the chemically sweet taste of this one...... by lunchtime I was hungry, so had a few vegetable sticks and another shake – this time toffee. Which I have to say was delicious!! Very yummy, a little like drinking butterscotch Angel Delight...Mmmmm...

By evening meal time I was STARVING!!! Yet feeling very bloated and uncomfortable. We ate some roast chicken a few veggies, throughout the day I drank lots of water.

I followed a similar plan for about 3 days, until I decided I could stand it no longer...I’m too hungry on just shakes, with a hectic and stressful job I need something to actually ‘eat’ at lunchtime, or I may chew off my own elbow.

I realise the shakes contain all the nutrients I need for the day ahead but I don’t think my body realises so it needs sustenance!

Calories on the shakes are about 200 each which isn’t bad, the Munch Bar has a calorific content of over 800 calories though!!!!!! I refuse to eat that small calorific morsel for lunch when a hearty salad would fill me up more and be about a quarter of the calories.  (I've been told these are only 200 calories, and 800 KJ - I am off to check this out and will post later once I've discovered which it is)

The Tony Ferguson recipe book looks good and I intend to try the ‘Notatoes’ recipe tomorrow, this looks good!! Using cauliflower instead of mashed potato is a fun idea....

My Tony Ferguson programme came with a little folder explaining what I had to do, which was good and very nice looking. It explained the programme in depth – although the reference to natural weight loss made me giggle, I think natural is apples, salad, fish, organic food chaps, rather than chemicals in a beaker....but nevertheless the folder is very pretty.

I’m sure TF weight loss is wonderful for some people, just not me really - sadly.

I’ll keep my left over shakes in my drawer at work in case of emergencies, ie the days I forget my lunch and they can be used so I don’t have to rush to the sandwich shop and break my diet.

The website for more info is www.tonyferguson.co.uk and it’s a Boots exclusive so try www.boots.com too.

There are also Facebook pages to search for – where I was actually VERY impressed with the level of interaction, I posted a comment saying how bloated I was and they posted a reply within hours about this, saying it was normal and due to changing my eating habits. So that was good customer service in my view!

By the way – I am still 10st 6lb – but can’t blame Tony as I only tried him out for 3 days. Onwards to the next plan of action then.....

A fresh day, a fresh batch of eating....

Today is a good day so far....

Breakfast - one grapefruit (managed to get juice on my trousers, top and keyboard though)

Lunch - Sushi pack from Boots, my new fave thing to eat...244 calories - hurrah for Sushi...

Plus one walk to Boots, 1km round trip.
I will update this again later.

Feeling very virtuos at the moment though!

Eating Confession day two

Today's eating is:

Breakfast - black coffee

Lunch - sausage sandwich
Snack - Banana

dinner - mashed potato, 2 Findus Crispy Pancakes
Desert - 4 Digestive biscuits

Exercise - walking round shops for two hours looking for some light shades (never found any I liked...)

Really bad day for food :-(

Fit Flop Fan !

I now live in my Fitflops! I have black pair of Fitflops, as I had been wondering about getting a pair for a while, I now officially love them!

My first day wearing them was last Friday, when I had a reflexology appointment, I left the house at 10.50 to walk the short distance to the salon for my appointment at 11. By the time I had got there, after a short quarter of a mile walk I was fairly ...err...knackered for want of a better term!!!

I laughed with the receptionist, who had been considering a purchase and also the reflexologist too, saying they must be doing something!! I entered the treatment room, and slipped off my Fitflops, only to discover the colour of the black suede had transferred itself onto my feet – so I looked very dirty for my appointment which was quite embarrassing!!

It soon came off though with a wipe of gel from my therapist.

I walked back home after the treatment, taking it more steadily though. Since then, I have worn them around the house, into town and also into work too – they are plain black so look fine with ¾ length trouser for work – ideal!

My tired legs have stopped aching now but I can feel a little difference so far. So I’m thinking well worth the £45.00!!  Expensive for a 'flip-flop' but they are so much more!

I also suffer intermittently with pain in the ball of my foot, when it happens it is crippling and I cannot put any weight at all on it for around an hour, this spasm occurred the other day and I immediately thought to put on my Fitflops as they are very thick and spongy so I wanted to see what happened, I am so pleased to say I could walk easily and the pain subsided within five or so minutes!! It’s a bloomin miracle and I love them!

I am now looking to order the ‘Rebel’ pair which are new and look even more funky and good enough for work too.

Each Fitflop is very structured and has wobble board technology in the sole which apparently gets all the little muscles working to keep you upright and this is what exercises you and give you a taught tush (I hope!!). The top of the Fitflop is also very well desgned, they wrap round most of your foot offering good support, whereas a normal flip-flop is just a thong on top of your foot and the flippity flop all over the place – these really hold your foot with minimal toe grip to hold onto your footwear, which is bad for both foot and posture.

I’m using my Fitflops with my Pedometer and will update you on Tush firmness as the weeks go by... I am a total Fitflop convert now though – if you are undecided, I’d say – treat yourself to a pair, even if it’s only for the comfort of them – firm legs and tush will be a Brucie Bonus!!

FitFlops are available to buy at

http://www.fitnessfootwear.com/  or click FITFLOP

The day the blog changed....

Due to some exciting things happening the blog here is about to eveolve into a dieting blog..... 

Stay with us to see what's in store....

Eating confession day one...

In an effort to name and shame myself I think I should outline all I have to eat on a daily basis, which may make me think and realise...OMG this is why I'm not a size 10!!

So....Tuesday 5th April - what did I eat?

Breakfast - black coffee

Lunch - Mini onion french stick, with pepper humous and a bag of crisps

Snack - Banana

Dinner - 2 sausages in a toad in the hole, gravy, mash and boiled carrots
Desert - fruit salad and half fat creme fraiche

plus

2 glasses of wine

Exercise - zero (oh dear...)