The Lazy Belle’s Guide To Shaping Up
The nights are getting longer, the weather colder and the mornings and evenings darker so it becomes harder and harder to haul our lazy behinds out and do some exercise.
While we don’t want our bodies to turn into flabby, dimpled flesh, it is hard to find the time or the inclination to pound the pavement or sweat it out in the gym to get perfect pins and washer board stomachs. But what if there were something that you could integrate into your day to day routine that would tone and help you keep those extra pounds off? Well there are a few things out there that can help, without the extra effort.
MBT Trainers
Commuting to work isn’t the most enjoyable part of the working day however if you know that you are working on your posture, helping the dreaded cellulite and toning your legs, it’s amazing how it can put an extra spring in your step!
MBT trainers are the original and best toning trainer. They activate and strengthen the small supporting muscles which are the body’s “natural shock absorbers”. They do this by creating a natural instability, to which the body responds with small, intuitive, compensatory movements. The body’s entire musculoskeletal system is activated and exercised, the muscles in the buttocks, stomach and back are strengthened, posture and gait are kept relaxed and upright and stress on the joints and back is relieved.
Walking to work in these babies is easy, they force your feet to walk properly, heel to toe, and make sure that your posture is straight. My first day standing on the tube was interesting though as I had to make quite a few adjustments when the train wobbled about – some of my fellow commuters may have thought I was recovering from a boozy night with the amount of swaying I was doing. And do be careful standing on escalators as I almost fell backwards when I didn’t quite get my balance right but this does improve with time.
The original shoe was quite bulky and odd looking, which used to put people off – especially when you like to stay stylish even on the commute. But there is now a huge range of shoes (and even some pretty nice knee-high boots) available to suit your needs and style.
To find your nearest stockist log on to MBT website.
The Wobble Cushion
It is not just walking to work where you can work out. Even sitting at your desk can help improve you figure. Many gym junkies used to get rid of their chair and sit on a Swiss ball to activate all those core muscles while doing their day job, however you don’t need anything so obvious now.
The Wobble Cushion combines the advantages of a Swiss Ball, being able to be used to do standing and sit-up style exercises on, and can also be used when sitting at your desk to activate all those small core muscles, toning your midriff and improving posture.
The first day that I used the cushion I did get a headache – I guess as a result of my muscles learning to sit straight – but after that it was quite comfortable. You can’t get complacent though as there are, of course, ways of sitting on the cushion that mean you are slacking off and slouching. The only down fall of this piece of equipment is that you still get a few funny looks from colleagues, one even asked if it was a cushion for piles! But that is a small price to pay for tightened abs and a straight back.
The Wobble Cushion is available through Physiosupplies.com for £16.99
LegMaster Power
The LegMaster Power claims to help you achieve slender, sleeker, more toned thighs from just one minute’s use a day in the comfort of your own home. In just four weeks it is suppose to give you thighs of steel – well at least tone them up so they look better if you dare to bare them during the Christmas party season.
I trialled it in my living room for four weeks where, whenever I had a spare moment, was watching TV or remembered, I would get on the LegMaster Power and give it all I had for 60 seconds.
I have to say that my legs were tired after just one minute. This is because you are not wearing them out aerobically but instead it is using your own body weight to give the muscles a weight lifting session. It is designed to engage all 200 lower body muscles giving them a thorough all-over workout. It also suppose to help to strengthen your core and reduce the appearance of cellulite.
After four weeks, my legs were definitely stronger, and more sinewy though I think the hard work would be keeping the momentum up and not allowing it simply to gather dust in the corner of your living room – because as far as dust collectors go, this is a rather large one.
The LegMaster Power is priced at £99 and is available from legmaster.com.
Slimsticks
Slimsticks is the latest diet aid to sweep Hollywood with Halle Berry, Jennifer Garner, and Salma Hayek all rumoured to be fans. After the success of Alli, the diet supplement that made two billion dollars last year that blocks fat absorption, people were eager to find something the worked as well but without all the terrible side effects.
Anyone who has tried Alli will know that if you have a fatty meal you get terrible side effects including orange coloured diarrhea that is oily and emits an unfortunate odour, vitamin deficiencies and flatulence all of which has obviously put off a lot of people.
Slim Sticks does the opposite of Alli, it puts fat into your lower intestinal track to signals to the mind that you’re really full – like you’ve just eaten a full roast meal and a tub of Ben and Jerry’s!
Containing the active ingredient Fabuless, Slimsticks has been demonstrated to reduce food intake by up to 30%, by being digested slowly into the body so increasing the time it takes to become hungry after a meal. It also reduces the amount of food eaten at the next meal.
Slimsticks has no side effects and, coupled with sensible eating and regular exercise Slimsticks can help people lose more weight than will power alone.
I had one after breakfast and ate much less for lunch and then had another one before dinner and again felt fuller longer meaning my portions were a lot smaller. In fact I wasn’t even that hungry for dinner but since it was my favourite, I decided to indulge. It does curb your appetite and may be just the kick start that you need to readjust your stomach size and eat less in the long run.
Slimsticks are available though their website for £29.99 for a pack of 30.
Slendertone
What’s lazier than sitting watch TV while a machine tricks your muscles into thinking that they are doing sit-ups? Well with slendertone that is exactly what you can do.
Slendertone uses Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS) toning technology to create strong, deep muscle contractions to tone your body. It mimics the body’s natural muscle movements; signals are sent between the pads, switching on the nerves that control your muscles and causing them to contract naturally.
You fasten it around your waist (there are also ones for the arms, back, bum and legs) turn it and try and relax while you feel your muscles contracting, which though a little strange, doesn’t hurt. It is best to do it before your evening meal and well before bed and being so discreet your nearest and dearest won’t even notice that you have it on (once you get over making those funny faces at the beginning!)
Makers promise that following Slendertone’s toning programme for 30 minutes, five times a week, your muscles will get firmer and stronger.
Available from Slendertone and retailers such as Harrods, Selfridges, Boots and Argos from £69.99.
