http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog-feed BuyAssociation Blog en-gb http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/images/en/BA-logo-with-wording-small.jpg http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog-feed http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/preventative-treatment---the-converted-skeptic-0097.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/preventative-treatment---the-converted-skeptic-0097.html Wed, 22nd Jun 2011
The Trion-Z Dual Loop bracelet I was sent includes both ionic and magnetic therapy features, and is designed to balance the body’s magnetic and electrical fields. While there have been a couple of high-profile cases of similar products being proven to have no health-giving benefits, the technical blurb that accompanied the bracelet made sense to me, and the track record of both testimonials and well-known users of the product kept me interested.

The reason for my skepticism was the same as for most ‘preventative’ or ‘lifestyle’ products – they enjoy to some extent a self-fulfilli…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/training-for-the-great-manchester-run-0094.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/training-for-the-great-manchester-run-0094.html Thu, 29th Apr 2010
I’m not particularly a runner, though I do run regularly. It is something which I find cathartic; it helps to clear my head after a long week at work; and I like the endorphin rush and sense of achievement after completing a new distance or quicker time. However, if running were my only exercise, I would quickly get bored and lose motivation. Add to this a couple of dodgy ankles as a result of some over-zealous tackling on the 5-a-side pitch and I’m usually limited to one running session per week.

Don’t get me wrong though – when I’m out running, there is little else that compares. Not only do you have complete fre…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-cycle-of-fitness-0078.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-cycle-of-fitness-0078.html Mon, 20th Apr 2009
The emergence of the country from our deep-freeze of a winter this year has pushed me to go further than just walking between the station and the office every day. The solution has been to get on my bike (something I’m sure plenty of people have been waiting for me to do for ages) and cycle to the office.

This has landed me with a host of benefits – some obvious and some unexpected – and given me a way to get fitter while getting to work. First, the stats: The journey from where I live near Hampton Court to the office in London is in the region of 12 or 13 miles, depending on the route I choose to take, and takes about 45 …]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-burning-question-0073.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-burning-question-0073.html Fri, 13th Feb 2009
Outside of work and relationship considerations, the snow also came at a bad time for the exercise I have been beginning to undertake to get back in shape and start training for the Tough Guy 2010 race.

Like most people, in order to be able to maintain good habits in training, I need to be able to exercise regularly and build up momentum. That way, not only do you feel like you’re getting fitter all the time, you are able to notice the results in both your body and the quality of the exerci…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/portional-representation-0071.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/portional-representation-0071.html Mon, 2nd Feb 2009
So how do I make the time to exercise regularly? The easiest option is to sacrifice something that is currently taking up some of my leisure time. Whether that is time seeing friends, TV watching, sleep, or cooking and preparing food, it doesn’t seem the most ideal solution – if nothing else, if exercise deprives me of something else in my life, I’m likely to resent it, and be even less enthusiastic.

So how to incorporate exercise into my daily life wit…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/new-regime-0069.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/new-regime-0069.html Fri, 23rd Jan 2009
I’ll readily admit to this – the consequences of a big family- and food-centred blowout over the festive period have left their mark not only on my waistline, but also on my psyche. The looseness and lethargy of my belly is matched by the lethargy I feel when the prospect of exercise or – gasp – dieting rears its ugly head.

Therefore, I’ve decided not only to make sure this year I follow through on at least some of the promises I make to myself, but also hopefully to empathise with the struggles we all face in trying to get in shape. I’ll set myself some goals, try to accurately tell you about my successes, failures and momen…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/ultrashape---the-verdict-0056.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/ultrashape---the-verdict-0056.html Fri, 25th Jul 2008 I Care For My Body clinic in Knightsbridge to have my final measurements taken.

The result? A 9.5 centimetre reduction overall on my thighs – hurrah! In the last month, I have been very bad though – drinking wine and eating chocolate with abandon – I really lost my diet mojo. I have also, as I discovered when I stood on Melissa’s fearfully-accurate digital scales, gained 600 grams (more than half a kilo!). Urgh – so all those extra empty rosé calories have been going somewhere.

A couple of facts – my thigh circumference measured exactly the same as the last time (the second visit), meaning that those 600 grams have settled elsewhere – my chin, maybe? More likely it’s on my bottom. The average centimetre reduction for a course of Ultrashape treatments is 6 centimetres…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-bride-and-the-boob-job-0052.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-bride-and-the-boob-job-0052.html Thu, 3rd Jul 2008 Botox® in the spam a few days before, to full on breast augmentation and liposuction.

Now, I got married nigh on three years ago, and it took me more than 18 months of hard work scrubbing, sweating, rowing and good old stressing to achieve the bridal perfection I desired. That’s not to say that I was 100 per cent happy though. In my mind, I still had saddlebags (remember them?) and chunky knees. Wisely I opted for a very full skirt and very tight bodice which showed off my decent rack, thereby distracting the eye from my ‘bad’ bits, and accentuating my good. This was the perfect dress for me – it suited my personality and my style. But I did have a wee twinge at the beginnin…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/under-pressure-to-be-thin---but-only-in-the-right-way-0046.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/under-pressure-to-be-thin---but-only-in-the-right-way-0046.html Mon, 2nd Jun 2008
Gawd bless her, the woman had been maintaining to the press and anyone else who asked that her dietary success was down to healthy eating and exercise, rather than the gastric band operation she underwent two years ago.

Now there are several issues here. First of all, don’t forget that Fern has expended an enormous effort and mental strength to shed this excess weight, including eating healthily and exercising, as well charity cycle rides in Asia and Africa. Secondly, the gastric band may or may not have contributed to her success. If you do have gastric band surgery, you have to commit to a healthy calori…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---inch-loss-island-0045.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---inch-loss-island-0045.html Wed, 21st May 2008 Ultrashape treatment on Wednesday at the I Care For My Body clinic in Knightsbridge. Thankfully, this time the treatment was completely painless. Last week I mentioned that I have managed to shed 12lb, well, as of this Monday it was officially a stone (yippee!). What I also discovered when my therapist Melissa measured me prior to the treatment was that I have lost five and a half centimetres off my thighs (double yippee!).

Now this is very heartening, but most of the people I have told about this have countered that because I’ve lost a stone, then surely that’s as a result of the diet and exercise? Well yes of course, but what’s really interesting here is that the saddlebags are indeed much smaller. Back in the day, in that blissfully small four week window around my wedding when I was at my t…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/those-dieting-blues-0040.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/those-dieting-blues-0040.html Mon, 12th May 2008
As of this morning the bathroom scales showed that I have lost 12 lbs so far – only two stone to shift before I reach my goal – meaning it will likely take around another two months to attain. That’s just depressing. If you have ever been on a diet you’ll know how much self discipline is required not to have that piece of chocolate or that additional glass of wine. Despite the fact that I am a convert to Weightwatchers – it has a brilliant online resource for managing your diet and you can eat what you want, just less of it – being on a diet just seems like purgatory to me.

And I’m sure I’m not the only one! Add this to the fact that I am…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---ultrashape-road-test-0038.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---ultrashape-road-test-0038.html Wed, 16th Apr 2008 I Care For My Body clinic in swanky Knightsbridge.

Saddlebags beware, because let me tell you, they got a real pummelling! Mind you, I can’t see a discernable difference yet, but that’s because this treatment takes time.

I arrive at the clinic and meet the lovely Dr Nina Couvaras, who talks me through the procedure and assesses my suitability for this treatment. This involves the usual questions about medications, diseases and pre-existing conditions and then a measurement of my Body Mass Index (BMI). As my BMI is 27 (slightly overweight), I am perfectly suitable for the treatment. Skinny minnies need not apply here, nor the obese. This is because the ultrasound laser used to zap the fat cells is calibrated to shoot down to around 3cm down below the skin. Too thin and the laser will hit muscle and hurt, as w…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/pale-and-interesting-0035.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/pale-and-interesting-0035.html Mon, 7th Apr 2008 tanning, but let me tell you, sunbathing is a fool’s paradise.

As you may remember, I was on holiday in Dubai the other week, and in my usual beach holiday lapse of judgement, for some reason I decided …]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---beach-blanket-boogie-0032.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---beach-blanket-boogie-0032.html Fri, 14th Mar 2008
It’s T- minus five days and counting, and I have embarked on the following preventative yet completely fruitless measures:

- Only eating tinned tuna and salad, but keeping the wine (a girl’s got to have something to look forward to)
- Panic-induced online buying of a new brown polka dot bikini (surely this will be the one that shows me to be the true goddess that I really am?! Well it looked nice on Caprice….)
- Panic-induced online buying of a black kaftan with pretty lace edging (just in case the bikini doesn’t live up to expectations)
- Booking a mini MOT – that is, a pedicure and a bikini …]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---more-lipo-than-i-can-handle-0031.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---more-lipo-than-i-can-handle-0031.html Fri, 7th Mar 2008
My last post was about laser lipo (I’m yet to go and have that done) but I’ve also just been told about another alternative. Regular readers may remember that I was planning on asking the “Knife Coach” Wendy Lewis her thoughts on the topic – well I met the …]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries--laser-lipo---a-revelation-0026.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries--laser-lipo---a-revelation-0026.html Fri, 15th Feb 2008
What to do? While caught up in the stress and responsibility of daily life, it was brought to my attention last week that there may be an alternative, in the form of “Laser Lipo”. Apparently, this is a completely non-invasive procedure that entails the attachment of Diode laser paddles to the offending areas for 10 minutes or so, while the laser works its magic. Two smaller probe lasers are also placed on the lymph nodes to encourage drainage of the fatty acids that are broken up by the Diode lasers. The paddles are then relocated and the process is repeated for another 10 minutes. Following this, the patient is placed on…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---urgh-freak-out-0021.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---urgh-freak-out-0021.html Fri, 1st Feb 2008 check this out. (Warning – this is not for those with a delicate constitution).

Anyway, having looked at this and nearly fainted, I checked out SmartLipo – which is a lot less invasive (but can be more expensive). The process for SmartLipo works like this: the surgeon inserts a small canula (tube) containing a laser into the skin and moves it back and forth. The laser’s energy breaks down the fat cells …]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---feedback-0019.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries---feedback-0019.html Thu, 24th Jan 2008 Day seven

Since I embarked on this particular endeavour (having liposuction on my hideous saddlebags) – I have been talking to the people around me about it to gauge their reactions (or even, if I’m honest, gain validation).

The response has, in the main, been really positive, especially from other women. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the idea has been received with almost over-excitable enthusiasm. I wasn’t expecting that. I was expecting some slightly raised eyebrows, coupled with a mildly judgemental, “Mmmmm..”. But no, instead, I have had a fair proportion of women (and they are, in the main, women) go on to tell me what they would have done if they had the guts/money. Popular procedures include, but are not limited to:

- Botox (in at number one w…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries-0015.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/the-liposuction-diaries-0015.html Thu, 17th Jan 2008 Day one – the realisation

OK so I do hate my thighs. Always have – let’s just say that I am a (normal) woman in her early 30s of the curvaceous persuasion. I talked jokingly in my last post about “getting it sucked out”…and guess what? I am now seriously considering it.

I think I might even “do a Theroux”. For those who don’t know, BBC journalist Louis Theroux recently underwent liposuction surgery to see what it was like, and report back. His surgery was filmed whilst he was conscious and I have a feeling he didn’t actually have any anaesthetic. If I do decide to go ahead there is absolutely no chance that I won’t be completely unconscious. Are you mad?

There are a number of obstacles and reservations I’m going to have to overcome in order to get to that point though. Namely (ah, let’s list ‘em):

- my mor…]]> http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/to-inject--cut-or-suck--0012.html http://www.buyassociation.co.uk/lookinggood/blog/to-inject--cut-or-suck--0012.html Thu, 13th Dec 2007 botox injection into the forehead at lunchtime, or perhaps something more drastic – popping off for a holiday to South Africa for a spot of surgery and safari perhaps – an increasing number of women (and men) are opting for the needle or the knife to shave off the years or control the bumps.

Being on the wrong side of 30, what seemed to me an alien concept five years ago is something I would actually consider having done now – I have a crease in my forehead that I could really do without – years of frowning in a bad temper and squinting in the sun have etched that furrow like a small crevasse in the grand canyon (or so it seems to me). And don’t even …]]>