Preventative treatment - The converted skeptic - 22 Jun 2011

Posted by Paul Collins No comments

I’m not usually one to go for gimmicks, particularly where health and fitness is concerned. For instance, you won’t find me loading up at the supermarket with the latest fad superfood or forcing myself to eat handfuls of seeds that my hamster would think twice about. So it was with a healthy degree of skepticism that I agreed to try out the Trion-Z sports bracelet.

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…

Read More

Training for the Great Manchester Run - 29 Apr 2010

Posted by Paul Collins No comments

While we try to keep the Looking Good BuyAssociation blog news-based and add a bit of own comment, there are times when we can be convinced that a little self-promotion is a good thing – particularly if there is a good cause involved. Therefore, now is the time to tell you about my preparations for this year’s Great Manchester Run.

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…

Read More

The cycle of fitness - 20 Apr 2009

Posted by Paul Collins 1 comment

As often happens with the best-laid plans, there have been some alterations to my schedule for fitness in 2009. This is not to say that I’ve gone back on my goals, or that I’ve taken the lazy route to convincing myself that I can skip a few sessions as ‘it won’t make that much difference and I’ll run further next time’!

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 …

Read More

The burning question - 13 Feb 2009

Posted by Paul Collins No comments

As the winter weather in the UK has turned roads into ice rinks and caused untold transport chaos, schoolchildren and those dreading Monday morning in the office alike were happy to see most of the country at a standstill for much of last week. My own excitement at the heavy snowfall was tempered by the fact that it made it almost impossible to do anything I needed to do, and the problems I might face in making my way to see my girlfriend in Manchester at the weekend.

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…

Read More

Portional representation - 2 Feb 2009

Posted by Paul Collins No comments

Like most people, I have an all-too-ready supply of excuses, reasons and explanations as to why I am unable to exercise. I often don’t have time spare to dedicate to getting fit. By the time I finish work it is usually dark, cold and seemingly always raining. Early mornings aren’t really an option as I like to get to the office and prepare for my day, and the daily commute from where I live outside Kingston-upon-Thames to the office in London is much less painful if done earlier rather than later.

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…

Read More

New regime - 23 Jan 2009

Posted by Paul Collins 1 comment

Most of us have similar intentions at the beginning of the year. This year, I’m going to get fit. If I start off by getting fit, it will be much easier to maintain it through the year, so that by the time the holiday/wedding/graduation/next Christmas comes around I’ll be in shape, and I won’t have to do this again…

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…

Read More