Right ladies, all you need to do is put aside 20 minutes for your at-home cardio circuit.  I’ve done it myself and believe me if you keep it up you will notice a difference, you may also want to have a resuscitation machine near-by…

Before you begin, I’m presuming you all know how to do jumping jacks… you may know them better as star jumps.  Squat-thrusts are pretty tough but my god will you see a difference in your bum, legs and thighs if you keep this up: from standing, crouch down, place palms on floor, jump legs back into full push-up position, then jump legs back to crouch pose and stand up. Repeat again. When marching really swing your arms and lift your knees up high, the quicker you get your heart rate going the better.

* March in place for 3 minutes (360 steps)

* 60 Jumping Jacks

* March 1 minute (120 steps)

* 60 Jumping Jacks

* March 1 minute

* 30 Squat-Thrusts

* March 1 minute

* 30 Squat-Thrusts

* March 1 minute

* 30 Squat-Thrusts

* March 1 minute

* 30 Squat-Thrusts

* March 1 minute

* 60 Jumping Jacks

* March 1 minute

* 60 Jumping Jacks

* March in place 2 minutes to cool down

I’m sure most of you have heard of spinning classes, the equivalent to Chinese torture on bikes, well this exercise has the same calorie burn and yet you can do it in the comfort of your own living room… what’s comfortable about it I don’t know.  Gotta get me one of these machines!

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Mother’s Day is fast approaching and sometimes it’s hard to know what to buy. Why not surprise your Mum this Mother’s Day (March 14th) with a special gift to help her shape up the easy way, with Slendertone.

Mums are always so busy looking after everyone else, so why not give her something which will help her feel great, and can also fit into her hectic schedule. Slendertone can be worn while working, either in the office or around the house, or even doing gentle activity, such as walking, which both you and your Mum can enjoy together.

For the Mum who wants to stay in shape, forget chocolates, just answer this simple question below and you could win a Slendertone System Arms and let your mum work those arms.

Question: What date is Mother’s Day?

a. 14th March

b. 11th March

c. 12th March

Enter your answer in the comments box below.  Good luck!

Hi all, this competition has now been closed – many thanks to all who entered.  Watch out for more competitions coming soon.

Today’s lucky winner is Aoibh, congrats

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Q: Do you have any lifestyle tips for improving the condition of skin?

A: By looking after our bodies on the inside and protecting our skin on the outside, we can help to slow down the onset of skin ageing.

Diet plays a major role in preserving our skins youthful appearance, by eating the right foods rich in antioxidants they can minimize the damage caused to our skin cells by free radicals.

Regular exercise such as cycling or brisk walking stimulates blood flow in the whole body and re-oxygenates your organs giving you a fresh and healthy complexion. Always protect your skin from UV rays.

See our previous posts on Effects On The Skin From Mineral Deficiency and How Vitamin Deficiency Can Effect Your Skin for more information.

Our ask the expert question has been answered today by La Roche-Posay’s Training Manager, Janette Ryan.

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It’s only two months since Coleen gave birth to her son Kai and at a recent Cricket fashion show in Liverpool she unveiled her new bod! She was wearing a flimsy silk dress that ordinarily would not actually ‘show off’ her slim figure, but at one stage a gust of wind caught the dress and revealed just how toned and slim she now is!

Coleen had said during her pregnancy that she was ‘not planning on rushing into losing weight after the baby’ but, it is believed that she enlisted the help of a personal trainer and stuck to an intensive exercise and diet regime since the birth of Kai. She attended the fashion show with fellow wag Alex Curran, I’m presuming they were able to swap tips on baby weight and formula feeds!

I think she actually looks better than ever before and I love her dress, let me know what you think??

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We recently showed you how to dress a ‘pear shaped‘ body, now it’s time to give you tips on how to dress an ‘apple shaped’ body.

What is an apple shaped body?

If you have a wide torso for example a full bust, waist, hips and upper back and yet you have relatively slim thighs and upper legs, you are a classic example of an ‘apple shape’. Apple shaped women tend to look ‘top heavy’ as they tend to be bigger up top and slimmer on lower half. There is most definitely a trick to dressing your body and bringing the eye away from your problem areas, read on to find out how!

You have to accentuate your best bits and for you it’s going to be your great cleavage and your slim legs. In saying that there are do’s and don’ts you should abide by:

Dressing you top half:

* Avoid anything that is too tight (it will draw too much attention to your bust), or anything too baggy (which will in fact make you look bigger than you are). Your best option is to go for fabrics that skim your body, preferably knits and wovens with stretch for a better fit. A slightly heavier fabric will always hide unsightly lumps and bumps too!

* You should always go for V-neck, boatneck, turtle and mock necks and shirt collars as they are the most flattering necklines for your shape.

* Use your ‘best bits’, show a little cleavage (now I’m not recommending that you turn into the next Jordon!), just maybe wear a pretty cami under a top or cardigan.

Dressing your bottom half:

* Top trick: you can balance out a top-heavy figure with an A-line skirt, this will give you the look of a waist and more of an hourglass look.

* Choose flat-front, never pleated, pants that have a lower rise than the natural waist.

* Always make sure to wear jeans that have pockets on the rear and front because if you are heavy on top this will disguise any tummy problems, while back pockets can help define a flatter rear common to top-heavy women.

* Avoid wearing skintight jeans or tight pencil skirts etc as this will only make your top half seem bigger again.

* Again show off your assets, if you have nice legs wear shorter (an inch above the knee!) skirts. As this will draw people’s attention away from your top half.

Another tip is to avoid mixing and matching too many different colours, choose monochromatic outfits as they will give the illusion of longer legs.

No matter what you think, don’t cover up from head to toe, as by showing a little skin whether it’s bare arms or shoulders this will be much more flattering.

If apple-shaped Catherine Zeta Jones can look this good, I’m proud to be a part of the ‘Granny Smyths’ family!!

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This is a classic pear-shaped body…. now lets tell you how you should dress it!

Bottom-heavy

I’m sure you have all heard of the term being pear-shaped, this is if your hips are wider than your shoulders and your thighs are round. There are particular ways you can dress if you’re pear-shaped that can highlight your positive area such as a delicate upper body, a shapely waist or toned shoulders and arms. I’ve put together some tips for dressing that may help you feel more comfortable with your own body shape;

Dressing your bottom half:

1) Trouser waists should sit somewhere below your natural waistline for a better looking fit and a straight or slightly boot cut leg is the most flattering style you could wear. Stick to plain dark colours as these are more slimming compared to patterned or light- coloured trousers. There is no point in wearing trousers with big pockets on the hips or rouching etc as this will add to and accentuate your lower half making it look bigger.

2) A-line skirts that go down to your knee are perfect for you, as they draw attention away from the problem areas.

3) Avoid anything too tight on your lower half, try to get clothes that just skim your bum and legs and fall to the ground as this will generally be a lot more flattering.

Dressing your top half:

1) You have to be careful when wearing your tops, avoid them being too baggy as this will make you look big all over, and if you wear a skintight top you will look out of proportion and it will draw attention to your bigger lower half! What’s the answer… wear fitted tops that show your shape but not skintight. Tops with a v-neck, buttons or some detailing around the neck will draw peoples attention up top – which is what you want!

2) When wearing a jacket you need to make sure it does not end at your widest point i.e your hips! You are better off to wear a jacket or coat down to your mid thigh area, as this will also hide your problem areas.

3) Another idea if you are really conscious of your derriere is to wear a cardigan, also down to your thighs, you can wear this over your tops and it may make you feel more comfortable. Always leave your cardigan or jacket open as the vertical lines are a trick to make you look slimmer.  If there’s a tie to the cardi loosely tie it at the back to it slightly tappers the cardi at your waist.

Princess Beatrice showing us pear-shaped… at its worst!!

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Here are some quick tips that can help you tweak your diet and loose weight with minimum effort!

1) Speed up your metabolism by eating often.  Forget starving yourself all day and only eating one big meal, even forget having three main meals a day.   The best way to lose weight is to have five or six smaller meals throughout the day.   Try thinking of yourself as a fire that needs to be fuelled so as not to burn out, so you ‘add a little fuel’ every so often.  After eating it actually takes your brain twenty minutes to register with your stomach that you are full, hence the fact you should not have huge meals in one sitting!

2) Make sure to eat a healthy breakfast.  I know you are probably sick of hearing this slogan but… it is the most important meal of the day!  Remember what I said above about ‘the fire’, well breakfast ‘lights’ the fire’!   Porridge is a great breaky as the oats are slowly released as energy and therefore you are fuller for longer.

3) Little changes make a difference too!  Change full fat milk for low fat, change white bread for wholemeal, swap the buttery mash or chips for a baked potato!  Just be sensible about what you eat, it will make a difference.  Try to include protein rich foods like chicken or beans with your baked potatoe at protein will fill you up and it’s healthy.

4) Don’t neglect yourself of treats, if you do this you will ‘break’ and give up on the ‘diet’!   You can however make those treats a little healthier:  Instead of a small bar of dairy chocolate swap it for a plain dark 70% chocolate bar, or snack on fruit and nuts or a natural yogurt.  Instead of eating half a packet of biscuits with your coffee, try a yogurt rice cake or a chocolate topped rice cake. (Trust me I don’t like plain rice cakes at all, but the yogurt ones are delicious and don’t taste of cardboard!)

5) Try and eat as much ‘real’, home cooked foods as possible.   Choose nutritious wholesome foods and try and limit your intake of processed foods with added chemicals, because at the end of the day if you cook it yourself you will know what’s in it!

Below are a few healthy snack ideas to get you started:

Popcorn – As long as it’s not soaked in butter or salt this is a very healthy snack, it’s high in fibre and low in calories.

Peanut Butter – It has many of the same great qualities as regular nuts and it is great because it will fill you up quickly.  You can eat it straight from the jar or add it to fruit, crackers or wholemeal toast etc. Just make sure not to over do it though as it is a high calorie food but it is full of protein which is good and filling.

Hard Boiled Egg – A quick high protein snack on hand at anytime!  With only 76 calories and an excellent source of protein you can’t go wrong with this snack.  Have it with wholemeal toast or just on it’s own.

Olives – Yummy!  Olives have many numerous health benefits, including being rich in Vitamins, Minerals, Monounsaturated fats and Antioxidants.   They also help to fight against a number of critical diseases, Cancer being one so get munching on olives.

Tuna – A quick and easy high protein snack to make at anytime. You can mix a can of water/brine-based tuna with a tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise and you have a snack that contains over 30 grams of protein!  For a main meal grill a tuna steak and have it with a salad… MMmmmmm.  Don’t over do it if you are pregnant though, I think the most you should eat it is once a week if you are.

I’ll leave you with an unusual treat to try:

Banana Nut Pop – Dip a banana in plain organic yogurt and roll in walnuts or coconut. Freeze. Yummy!

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Gyms can be very expensive and very time consuming! So why not concentrate on what you’re already doing at home or in work and up the beat a little, you’ll be very suprised at the outcome it will have:

1) Simply by hoovering, mopping, sweeping or other household chores can burn up to 100 calories every 20 minutes, all you have to do is up the intensity a little.

2) When bringing the baby for a walk in the buggy, take a route with a hill, pushing the buggy will intensify the walk and tone the arms more. Borrow your friends baby if you don’t have one, brownie points will be an added benefit!

3) Next time you forget something from upstairs instead of sending someone else up for it, go yourself! To make it even more worthwhile try and run up the stairs instead of plodding up it.

4) In work if there is a toilet on your floor… don’t use it, make the effort to walk up the stairs and use the one there. Do this each time you need to use the bathroom and before you know it you’ll start noticing a difference in those legs. Likewise DON’T USE THE LIFT, this is lazy, by using the stairs an extra few times each day you can burn off enough calories to warrant a smaller dress size and you will be toning your thighs and buttocks. So whether the lift is in work or your apartment block steer clear of it!

5) Get out in the garden, weeding, trimming or mowing the grass can work up a major sweat and you are getting fresh air.

6) Have fun with your kids or again borrow your nieces and nephews, play games that have you on the move, not only will you be burning calories but the kids will love spending time with you. Whether it’s chasing, “Simon Says” or playing a bit of basketball in the back garden go do it.

7) Instead of driving all the way to the car wash, get out and do it yourself! In the hour it takes you to wash and hoover your car, you can burn up to 300 calories and you’ll have given your arms a great workout.

Another great way to lose calories is shopping!! If you love to burn money, it’s good to know you can burn calories at the same time. By walking through stores and trying on clothes you can burn up to 135 calories an hour.

9) Get yourself a step counter, and aim to do 10,000 a day. You wont feel the 10,000 steps adding up, for instance instead of driving to the local shop.. walk.

10) If all else fails, sleeping burns 50 calories!

So there really is NO excuse for not doing all of the above, start with little changes and work your way up.

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OK… so there is a lot to be said for living the high life in cities, but, have you ever considered the effects that smog can have on your skin? Smog can damage skin cells and can deplete them of Vitamin E amongst others. Check out our handy tips to help keep your skin refreshed and glowing..

Stop Smoking

I thought we would do the most important tip first! Obviously, you already know that smoking quickens the signs of ageing but cigarette smoke also clogs pores, can worsen acne and can make your skin appear dull. The environment is polluted enough without your poor suffering face having to endure a daily presence of smoke billowing around it! Smoking also creates blackheads, especially on the nose.

Sunscreen – A Must Have

Before you put a foot outside your front door, apply your sunscreen! don’t be tricked by our lack of sunshine, even on a dull, cloudy day the sun’s UVA and UVB rays still get to us. I?m sure you would rather not have premature wrinkles and contrary to what you may think about ?cute freckles? they?re actually damaging sunspots! You have no excuse these days as many daily moisturisers have built in sun protection.

Eat your Greens

Fill up on those healthy greens, broccoli, spinach, peas etc. By eating your greens you are raising your body’s PH balance, which helps with the anti-ageing process. Contrary to this you should try and cut down or avoid alcohol, caffeine and cigarette smoke as these acid producers have the opposite effect. A glass of vino won’t do you any harm so it’s not a complete no to fun!

Catch up on your ZZzzz’s

This again is an obvious tip, getting a good nights sleep will help to brighten up a dull, sleep- deprived complexion. Your skin has to deal with enough pollution on a daily basis, so helping it out where you can will stand to you! Plenty of sleep will give your skin a chance to undo any damage from a days wear and tear.

Relief with Regular Facials

In the current climate salons seem to have plenty of great special offers on at the moment, so, if you can stretch your budget to include a facial or even mini facial once a month you will really see the benefits in your skin. If you can’t make it to the salon you can do a mini facial at home, just make sure to include exfoliation, mask and moisturiser. Pop in to a salon and ask for advice, it won’t cost you anything and you’ll get the benefits of salon treatments from DIY facials with products suited to your skins needs.

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The time to bare our bodies is coming (groan..), but these recipes should help kick start us. If not glue this picture of Gemma Atkinson to your fridge!

• Preheat the grill to medium, split the muffin & toast both cut sides until golden. Add a slice of cheese to each half and allow to melt under the grill. Remove from the heat.
• Mist a nonstick frying pan with low fat spray and heat until hot. Add the tomatoes on their vines and cook gently for 2-3 mins until softened and beginning to split.
• Meanwhile, carefully crack the eggs into the pan and fry for 1-2 mins until the whites are just set.
• Serve each cheesy muffin with a fried egg on top and the tomatoes alongside.
  

• Place all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. Dilute with a little water if you like.
• Serve immediately, as it will discolour quite quickly.
  

2 medium pitta bread, regular wholemeal or white, 1 portion lettuce, (handful) mixed leaf salad, 4 thin slice parma ham, 1 medium pear – cored and sliced, 40 g low-fat yogurt, 25 g Gorgonzola – crumble, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, black, freshly ground

• Warm the pitta breads under the grill or in the toaster.
• Split them open and fill each one with a handful of mixed leaf salad.
• Fill each pitta with two slices of Parma ham and half the pear slices.
• Mix together the yogurt and gorgonzola. Spoon an equal amount into each pitta, season with some freshly ground black pepper and servel

Low fat cooking spray, 1 bunch spring onions, chopped, 4 eggs – beaten, 6 cherry tomatoes – halved, 50g (1.75oz) reduced fat mature cheddar – cubed, 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, Watercress to serve

• Mist a frying pan with low fat spray and heat. Add the spring onions and cook for 1-2 mins until softened.
• Lightly season the egg and add to the pan with the tomatoes, swirling the pan so that the egg reaches the edges. As the omelette begins to cook, lift the edges with a spatula and tip any runny egg underneath to cook.
• Keep working round the omelette until all the egg is just set. Scatter the cheese and thyme on top and leave to cook for about 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat. Cut omelette in half and serve with the watercress.

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