Book Review: Breathe Better, Sleep Better by Anandi The Sleep Guru

What do you do when sleep eludes you, not just for the odd night but on a consistent basis?

We know that poor sleep can affect our health, bringing with it an increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer - particularly in later life.  And, of course, the menopause can bring insomnia with it as yet another challenging symptom.

With our addiction to smartphones and all things "i" many of us are finding that our sleep is beginning to suffer - even our kids are now surviving on less and less sleep in order to keep up with social media.

An interesting new book by Anandi, The Sleep Guru offers an approach to curing insomnia based on the ancient and natural therapy of Ayurveda.

She suggested that the answer to insomnia is to learn to breath better and her book "Breathe Better, Sleep Better" offers an easy to follow, systematic approach to getting a better night's sleep.

Anandi’s journey started as a teacher in the fitness industry in 1986. She now lives in Italy and runs workshop and retreats, in Italy and London. Anandi is Alison Francis’s spiritual name given to her by her guru in India in 2007.

Her professional credentials are:

• Ayurveda Practitioner, approved by the International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine • Ayurvedic consultant (American Institute of Vedic Studies, David Frawley)
• Qualified NLP instructor and hypnotherapist (David Shephard, Performance Partnership) • Chopra-certified Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor (Deepak Chopra)
• Registered Senior Yoga Teacher (Approved by The Yoga Alliance)
• Continued study of Pranayama with Yogi Vishvketu
• Mentee of the late Georg Feuerstein, and graduate of 800hrs of yoga history and philosophy (Georg Feuerstein, Traditional Yoga Studies)
• ‘Teaching the teacher’ internship in India at Anand Prakresh Ashram (Yogi Vishvketu)

Anandi fought her own insomnia for 15 years but found that sleeping tablets and other sleeping aids just did not work for her.

Anandi The Sleep Guru

The book is a combination of five years of experiments with the breath. It addresses sleep problems and how breathing correctly will also balance systems such as digestion as well as improve circulation and reduce stress and anxiety.

I found the book fascinating as it introduces the reader to the various forms of Prana, or universal energy.  Anandi personalises each and gives them a character so, for example, Samana Vayu is the "warrior fire in your belly" and Udana Vayu is "the creator".

Disruptions in these energies will result in various disturbances throughout the body and for each Vayu, Anandi suggests postures, visualisations, affirmations, goals and foods to eat to address the lack of equilibrium.

I was particularly interested to read about Udana as when our Udana energy is out of balance is can affect our thyroid.

In the book, Anandi shares her night-time ritual for better sleep and there is a five week plan for you to follow to familiarise yourself with the various types of breath so you understand how to use them.

There is also a useful chapter with tips to help you cope with situations like waking up with racing thoughts or struggling with anxiety or depression.

Anandi has also developed  “The Personal Sleep Review" (£325), which she offers on a one-to-one consultation basis from her London practice.  This is a detailed Ayurveda constitution analysis with a full report and recommendations with a follow-up call to monitor progress.

She also offers two Personal Sleep Review options. There's a 90-day plan (£1,225) - everything included in a consultation plus a dietary analysis, an Ayurveda lifestyle plan and follow up calls every fortnight. Or the nine-month plan (£1,675) which includes elements of the 90-day plan plus other resources provided by Anandi.

"Breathe Better, Sleep Better" is available on Amazon and on Anandi's website where she explains different methods and techniques to cure insomnia. There you'll find a number of video demonstrations, written guides and advice to help with your development, as well as blog posts on meditation, healthy eating and stress.

The book is definitely worth a read if you are looking for a gentle, drug free approach to dealing with your insomnia - or just improving your overall health in general.

*contains an affiliate link

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Standing Up To Back Pain

It’s a danger that is going to affect a lot of us at some point in our lifetime if it isn’t affecting you now. One in 10 people suffer from lower back pain, making it the cause of more disability than any other condition. However, it doesn’t have to be debilitating if you move quick and treat it right.



Link

Mind your posture

One of the growing common causes of back pain is how many of us spend a majority of our time sitting. Especially for those of us sitting at a desk to work, that sedentary behaviour is a cause of several problems. Besides back pain, repetitive strain to the legs and wrists are also common. 

When you’re dealing with back pain, you want to ensure that you have an ergonomic workstation, including a properly supportive chair, and that your desk is at an appropriate height to make sure that your arms can rest while using the keyboard and mouse, rather than having to reach up to do it.

Chill out

Temperature effects back pain as well. Cooling packs are often recommended after an injury, whether it’s caused by incorrect lifting posture or a bad workout, to stop inflammation. For prolonged treatment, patients may be recommended to wear cooling packs like a belt above their waist. 

A hot bath or hot water bottle can be a great help in easing the pain as well, though they don’t offer anything particular in terms of treating the cause itself.

Talk to any expert

Back pain can be caused by several different things, from slipped disks to minor damage to ligaments. Various stretches can be recommended but not unless you have an expert telling you which to do. Experts like a chiropractor can help not only ease the pain but help identify the exact cause of it, so you know not what to do and can avoid exacerbating the situation. If you’re looking to get back into exercise quickly, a physiotherapist can help you find the appropriate ways to keep exercising with and in treatment of your back pain, too.

Move more

It might sound like it makes sense to seek bed rest, but after one or two days, it can actually be worse for your back. In most cases, you need to seek ways to get more active instead. Wearable fitness technology can make it a lot easier make smaller goals and gain some progress every day. Swimming, walking, cycling and the like can help you recover. 

In terms of stretches like toe-touches and yoga, again you should speak to your healthcare expert first. If your ligaments are the cause of your pain, for instance, then those stretches can put more stress on them, extending your pain.

The most important thing to do when you’re suffering severe back pain is to talk to someone about it. Any of the treatments mentioned can work, depending on the cause and circumstances of the pain. However, some can also be the exact opposite of what you need so you need to get to the bottom of what’s causing your back pain.

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Living Life Ready - Calm Your Anxiety Naturally With Kalms Lavender

Here's an interesting question for you.  Do you know the difference between stress and anxiety?

We tend to use these terms interchangeably, but there are definite differences between the two.

We experience stress when our feelings threaten to overwhelm us in situations where the demands made on us are greater than our ability to manage.

We often know exactly what the source of our stress is too - for example starting a new job, sitting an exam or attending an interview.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is an unease about something with an uncertain outcome. Anxiety can exist even when the cause of the worry is gone.  I'm frequently told "it's all in your head"!

Did you know that almost one in five people say they feel anxious a lot or all of the time? Anxiety has become a common problem in our daily lives.

Symptoms of anxiety include feelings of worry, apprehension and uncertainty.

We feel we are worrying all the time, perhaps about things that are a regular part of everyday life or things that are unlikely to happen.  Some of us even worry about worrying.

But anxiety, and especially prolonged anxiety, can have a negative effect on the body.  We may suffer a racing heartbeat, nausea, headaches, and muscle tension.

There is no doubt that long term, anxiety can impact on quality of life and wellbeing. So what can we do to better manage these feelings?

If your anxiety is severe, you should talk to your GP or perhaps ring a helpline best suited to the nature of your problem.

If, however, your anxiety is mild there are plenty of ways you can help yourself to manage your fears and take better care of yourself in order to cope.

Whilst you are taking steps to make your life more manageable, you could also try a new supplement to help relieve the symptoms of mild anxiety.

Kalms Lavender One-A-Day Capsules is a traditional herbal medicinal product which contains uniquely prepared, pharmaceutical quality lavender oil.

The product is used for the temporary relief of the symptoms of mild anxiety such as stress and nervousness, exclusively based on the long standing use of lavender as a traditional herbal remedy.

You see when we are anxious we may suffer from  an  "Anxiety Imbalance" where the nerve cells in the brain become over stimulated, due to the excessive release of neurotransmitters - the brains chemical messengers - such as dopamine and adrenaline.

This leads to hyperactive nerves which are excessively ‘switched on’ - an imbalance which can result in symptoms of anxiety.

The results of over 15 clinical trials have shown that a daily capsule of lavender oil can noticeably relieve the symptoms of anxiety in just one to two weeks - and those benefits are comparable to commonly used anti-anxiety medications.

One study found that symptoms in 70% of those taking the lavender oil capsules were rated as ‘much’ or ‘very much’ improved when reassessed by researchers at the end of treatment.

Lavender oil is the active ingredient found only in Kalms Lavender One-A-Day Capsules in the UK- and the research suggests that it can reduce the overstimulation of nerve cells leading to an improvement in symptoms of anxiety.

Kalms are encouraging us all to #livelifeready so that we enjoy our days to the full no matter what symptoms anxiety may throw at us!

It's surprising how it's often the little things that set us worrying.  These are some of the things I worried about this week.

- Mathew flying to Canada for work - I am always worried about plane crashes!

- St. David's Day - do you think I could find safety pins to pin Caitlin's Welsh Lady shawl?

- World Book Day - I can't sew for toffee and we are always scrabbling about to get some sort of costume together at the last minute.

- Cooking - or more specifically what to have for tea.

- The kids actually eating the tea I've cooked.

- My glasses not fitting (readers of this blog will know just how much stress this gives me!)

- The constant hissing in my ears - thanks Tinnitus!

My usual coping mechanisms involve hot baths, early nights, reading a good book and a glass of wine - like many parents across the land, and you can find more of my suggestions for managing your anxiety in this post.

Here are some more brilliant #livelifeready tips from Kalms.

1. Slow and steady

If you’re feeling anxious, try taking slow deep breaths; calmly inhaling for 4 seconds through your nose, then exhaling for the same via your mouth. Studies show practising a breathing technique can stimulate the part of the nervous system responsible for relaxation, helpful in reducing anxiety.

2. Take a mindful moment

Mindfulness - the practice of being present in the moment and noticing our feelings, body, thoughts and environment - has been found to improve mental wellbeing and be beneficial for anxiety. Being mindful can be as simple as paying more attention to things we touch, see, smell and hear, like savouring our morning cup of coffee, rather than being caught up in our whirring thoughts. Visit NHS Choices for an introduction to Mindfulness.

3. Know your triggers

Knowing what exacerbates your anxiety is an important step in addressing the issue. Often we avoid situations that make us feel anxious – but this is counterproductive and can make our fears worse. Facing what we’re worried about can help alleviate the anxious feelings – whether it’s been making that phone call you’ve been putting off, replying to an email or even tidying the house.

4. Time to talk

Sharing your worries with a trusted family member or friend can make them seem less daunting, and voicing your fears out loud may help you put them into perspective. You can also turn to anxiety support organisations for advice in times of need.

5. Write it down

Try taking some time at the end of each day to write your worries down. Offloading thoughts in this way may help you slow down your thinking, step away from a continuous cycle of worry and clear the mind. Writing a to do list also allows you to commit to paper all the tasks you still need to complete – without spending excessive time thinking about, and trying to remember, them.

In order to get a bit better at living life ready, I have been trying Kalms Lavender One-A-Day and after just one capsule I felt noticeably calmer and more relaxed.  In fact I felt so calm I could have taken a nap!

These do seem to help.  Just take one capsule with a glass of water.

The packaging does state clearly that the product may impair your ability to drive or use machines so make sure you read the label.

The product is not suitable for the under 18s, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or are allergic to the product ingredients.

I would say that for periods of mild anxiety Kalms Lavender One-A-Day capsules are certainly worth a try but if your symptoms do not improve after 2 weeks you need to see your GP.

Kalms Lavender One-A-Day capsules are available in Boots, Asda and online at www.kalmsrange.com RRP £6.49

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Keep Your Family Healthy This Spring

We have survived another dank and dismal UK winter and are heading towards spring.  Just the word lifts the spirits.  We start to think of brighter, lighter days and evenings with the promise of summer warmth and lazing on beaches in the sun.

So it's time to think about getting the family fit, healthy and ready to enjoy everything the British summertime has to offer (even if that involves umbrellas).

Rather than stress yourself out by making wholesale changes, try subtle tweaks to your routine to gradually improve everyone's health - including your own.

Here are some great ways to improve your health as a family.

Get outside together and make the most of the daylight

Did you know that in the UK we get most of our Vitamin D from sunlight exposure from late March to the end of September?

Vitamin D helps our bodies to absorb calcium and phosphate from our diet, minerals which are important for healthy bones, teeth and muscles.

We make sure we take the kids out for a brisk weekend walk through our local woods, to our nearby beaches (usually Penarth) or Cosmeston nature reserve.

But make sure you use sunscreen

Many skin experts agree that THE most important thing we can do to protect our skin against aging is to use sunscreen.

And we know how vital it is to protect our little ones' skin against the power of the sun. The NHS advises that children under 6 months should be kept out of direct strong sunlight and that, from March to October in the UK children should cover up with suitable clothing and spend time in the shade (particularly from 11am to 3pm) and wear a sunscreen of at least SPF15.

In fact, Cancer Research UK says that getting painful sunburn, just once every 2 years, can triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer.

Early nights

We've always tried to maintain a regular bedtime routine for the kids (around 7:30 pm) which is just as important now that they are 9 and 7 as it was when they were babies.

Things tend to lapse during school holidays though but even then 8:30 pm tends to be the latest as the kids are grumpy and tired the next day.

We try to limit screen time before bed because research shows that it affects our sleep patterns, making it harder to drop off.

And the kids still have a drink of milk which, even if the jury is still out on whether the tryptophan it contains actually helps you sleep, has the effect of signalling it's time to relax and switch off.

Eat fresh and organic

We've all heard this a million times and it is basic, common sense advice.  Many people feel that organic food is overpriced and there certainly seems to be a noticeable price hike on produce such as organic berries.

To make the most of our food budget it's worth remembering that some organic fruits and vegetables are worse than others for containing pesticide residue - according to the campaigning charity Pesticide Action Network (PAN UK).

It all depends on the farming methods used so they advise switching to organic for the food most affected by chemicals and sticking with the standard versions of the least affected if budget is an issue.

So which fruits and vegetables should we always consider buying organic?  You can find a helpful list in this article from The Telegraph newspaper published in November 2015.

Protect young tummies with probiotics

There's nothing worse than an outbreak of the dreaded sickness bug and one simple way you can help your children's immune systems strong and hopefully keep the bugs away is to give them a probiotic.

These are live bacteria and yeasts in the form of a food supplement or yoghurt drink and are promoted as having various health benefits.

Probiotics are also thought to help restore the natural balance of bacteria in the gut when it has been disrupted by an illness or treatment.

As yet,  the NHS says there is little evidence to support many of the health claims made for them but I give Caitlin and Ieuan a probiotic every morning on the basis that it is unlikely to harm them and if it saves me having to swab down the bathroom - great!

Make drinking water interesting

We know that drinking water is vital for our health.  According to the National Hydration Council, kids should be drinking anywhere between 1.6 litres (ages 4-8) up to 2.1 litres (ages 9-13) a day. Note that this amount is water from drinks and food and includes milk, vegetable and fruit juices and plain unsweetened drinks.

As adults, we should be drinking around 2.5 litres a day for men and 2.0 litres for women.

We try to stay away from highly sweetened drinks and choose no added sugar squashes but we also serve up a jug of water at mealtimes to which we sometimes add ice and chopped fruits like strawberry slices and lemon.

We also try to bribe the kids with funky water bottles and straws!

We've found if we drink it, the kids are more likely to join in.  As they say you have to model the behaviour you want to see.

As you can see, there are loads of small changes you can make to get your family healthier without breaking the bank.

It's also a good idea to make sure that the family's medicine chest is fully stocked with everything you might need for minor injuries and illnesses.  We've usually got a bottle of Calpol stashed away and a job lot of plasters!

And remember the healing power of oxytocin, also known as the 'love hormone' which is released whenever we share a hug.

That's an easy one, isn't it?

*collaborative post

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Diabetes in Children: Focus On The Positive

It can be one of the most overwhelming challenges any parent can ever go through, and that is because there are so many different things to think about when it comes to managing your child’s diabetes.

We, as parents have enough to think about, we already have to handle the immense pressures of doting on young ones, so having the added pressure of dealing with diabetes can be horrendously daunting a lot of the time.

Image credit

But don’t despair and don’t pull your hair out, because chances are you are doing the most fantastic job.

However, if you are doubting yourself now and then, or just want a little bit of advice on how you can make thing easier, then the following tips may help.

Image source

1. Management tasks

It doesn’t matter what age your child is, you are going to need to take a really proactive role when it comes to the management tasks of diabetes.

This will not only make your life easier, but it will help them understand what they need to remember, which will encourage these steps to become a habit.

This includes meal planning, monitoring glucose levels in their blood, insulin injection and pill management. All of this is part of your life, it is just a matter of adjustment.

2. Understanding

Understanding what diabetes is, what can help and what can inflame is a tough task. It requires a real dedication to gaining knowledge. However, there are a few areas which you can concentrate on, and do as a family.

These include things like exercising, and knowing how, when, for how long and at what intensity they should be exercising. It includes things like understanding the importance of daily foot care, how to apply Allpresan, how to do a thorough foot exam and what footwear is best.

Above all, it also requires a detailed understanding of high and low glucose levels, how to treat and how to prevent.

3. Medical Team

Don’t just find a good medical team, work as closely as you can with them. Learn as much as you can from them, try and tap into their knowledge, especially when it comes to pediatric diabetes.

Speak to everyone on the team that you can; doctors, nutritionists, educators, mental health experts, and anyone else you can. It will all help, and it will all help hugely. The less stress, worry, and pressure on you the better, so do what you can to reduce that stress.

4. Honesty

This is so important and so underrated. The worst thing anyone can do in life - whether it involves diabetes, bereavement, cancer or anything else - is to suffer in silence.

So talk to your child about anything they may be feeling. Ask what they are struggling with, help them remain positive and upbeat. Tell them about all the things they are doing so incredibly well, and build from there.

It is easier to help them improve on their weaknesses by focussing on their strengths,; it will help their mentality. But don’t stop there.

Be honest with your medical team; tell them what you are struggling with and what your child is struggling with too. This will allow them to react accordingly and help you both make the right moves.

5. Focus

Don’t make their life all about diabetes, because it isn’t who they are it is just something they live with.

Talk to them about other stuff too, about school, friends, girls, hobbies and everything else you talk to your other kids about.

The last thing you want to do when your child comes back home from school starts asking them about their glucose levels and focussing on this again. Let them tell you off their own back.

Just ask them what they got up to and whether their friend Jack is still is still captain of the football team. Take the focus away from diabetes for a moment.

6. Normal

Yes, your child has diabetes, a condition that requires monitoring and attention and concern, but let them have a normal childhood too.

So many parents let the worry overcome all else, so much so that they forget the child has their own life to lead and one that they want to be as normal as possible. So let them play sports and have their friends over for sleepovers and go to parties and stay up late watching films with you once a week.

That is the best way to help them feel strong and not powerless, happy and not caged, grateful and not bitter. It is about mentality, and normality, both of which you will have a huge amount of sway over.

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Tinnitus Sufferers Long To Hear The Sound Of Silence

Readers of this blog will know that I suffer from Tinnitus and I have written previously about the impact it can have on your life.

This week is Tinnitus Awareness Week (6-12th February ) and it's a good time to remind ourselves of how great an effect the constant sounds in our ears can have on our mental health and our daily life in general.

Tinnitus can be incredibly isolating

The British Tinnitus Association describes Tinnitus as “the perception of sound in the absence of any corresponding external sound”.

How innocuous that sounds, doesn't it?

Weirdly, sufferers usually find that their sounds can be quite individual.  Some hear whooshing or whistling, others hear kettles, crickets or even music.

The perceived sounds can range from a low rumble to a high pitched squeal, from very quiet to loud volume levels.

As you might imagine, many people living with the condition find that it impacts their lives to such an extent their mental health is affected, often finding it difficult to accept they will never hear silence again.

At the time of writing, there is no cure for Tinnitus.  Sufferers tend to rely on alternative therapies and lifestyle adjustments to get through their day.

Personally, I have found the Tinnitus Forums on Facebook very helpful but these can occasionally be very dark places and you realise how devastating an impact Tinnitus can have.

This is compounded by the fact that those we live with often cannot fathom why we find it such a struggle.

And stories abound of doctors and ENT specialists being less than sympathetic, if not downright dismissive.

The Husband is used to my carrying musicians earplugs around with me.  If we go, say to a school concert,  I'll whip them out of my handbag and shove them in my ears to avoid a Tinnitus spike.

A spike is where something triggers a rise in the volume and duration of your Tinnitus.  It can be something like an ambulance siren passing by you on the road, a balloon bursting, a door slamming or someone shouting.

You can also trigger a spike if you have a sensitivity to certain foods or additives - possibly for example aspartame or gluten.

The most asked question on the forums is simply this "will I ever know silence again"?

Tinnitus can be incredibly isolating and, because it is so difficult for non-sufferers to understand, it is easy to feel alone.

It may not be cancer or heart disease but it can have as great an impact.

It is nice to see then, that NRS Healthcare, a leading mobility and daily living aid provider based in Leicester, has created a useful infographic to raise awareness of the condition.

Their aim is to help those living with tinnitus to understand that they are not alone in their experiences and suggest how they may be able to relieve the effects of their condition with certain types of daily living aids.

NRS Healthcare has also launched a competition on its Facebook page to win an Amplicall Telephone and Doorbell Indicator for those who are living with tinnitus.

Very useful for those of us suffering from mild hearing loss as well!

As you can see, the infographic features celebrities such as Will.I.Am and Barbara Streisand who suffer from this distressing condition.  Chris Martin from Coldplay is another sufferer, as is Ozzy Osbourne.

If you live with someone who suffers from Tinnitus, now is a great time to sit down with them and really listen as they tell you what it's like and how it affects them.

It's also a great time to take steps to protect your hearing (and especially that of your children) because, whilst we now think Tinnitus is a condition of the brain, there is no doubt that constant exposure to loud noise has an effect.

Let's hope by Tinnitus Awareness Week 2018, greater strides have been taken to bring Tinnitus even further forward into the public's consciousness so that we can all talk about it openly - and work together towards finding a cure.

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When Should You Keep Your Child Off School?

Every parent dreads those 4 little words - "I don't feel well" or the telephone call from the school requesting that your little one be picked up due to illness. We know that we are not supposed to take them back, at least in the case of sickness, for 48 hours.

We also know that many parents don't stick to that rule, much to the annoyance of teaching staff and those parents who fear their kids may now go down with the latest bug.

It's easy to be judgmental but, if parents work, it may come down to a straight choice between the health of their child and keeping their job.

Part time jobs, in particular, are difficult to come by and I know from my experience in the Legal Sector that part time positions are often created simply to be seen as adhering to "good" HR practice and in order to create roles for female employees returning from maternity leave!

The job may be part time, but the workload certainly isn't.  5 days work is cantilevered into 3 and woe betide you if you have to leave early to pick up a poorly child. You'll be equally unpopular with your bosses and the employees who have to pick up the slack in your absence.  

If there is a tender document to submit or a presentation to give, you'd have to be very brave indeed to miss it. Come appraisal and pay-review time, the discussion will be about whether you are a 'team player'.  Law firms are very fond of 'team players', despite having a hierarchy which is anything but flat.

This is without taking into account the cost and scarcity of good childcare.  Our local childminders all seem to be oversubscribed and are followed into the playground by ever increasing numbers of children.

Breakfast clubs and after school clubs are thriving.  In fact, so popular are they in Caitlin and Ieuan's school that the playground is often comparatively deserted in the mornings, with the children outside looking enviously at the children safe and warm within.

So when should you keep your child off school?

Be aware that the Government is quite clear that children should only miss school if they are too ill to attend or they have advance permission from the school - otherwise a fine may be payable.

If your kids are showing clear symptoms then it's a no-brainer but what do you do if they are a bit 'under the weather'?

These are the illnesses the NHS say merit keeping your child at home depending on their severity:-

Cough and Cold * Raised Temperature * Rash
Headache * Vomiting & Diarrhoea * Sore throat * Chickenpox

But what do you do when they have had a rotten night's sleep?  Ieuan, for example went through a phase where he suffered from growing pains and often woke up in the early hours clutching his legs. But he was not ill.

Poorly Ieuan

As adults when we get colds we know we just have to carry on and dose ourselves up with Lemsip. We don't have the luxury of a duvet day.  Despite the fact that we are likely to infect our colleagues and our performance will be under par, many of us trudge unwillingly into work to hack and cough through the day.

If we let our children stay home for every cough and sniffle, what will happen when they really have to turn up and perform?

But when your kids awake bleary eyed, tired and weepy, complaining of head, ear or tummy aches, it takes a very hard mother not to want to scoop them up and put them back in bed.

Some of my fondest memories when ill are of being tucked up in bed by my mum, being fed tea and hot buttered toast, and listening to the radio.  There is nothing like a bit of parental attention and love to aid a speedy recovery.

As a stay at home mum,  that is a luxury I can offer my kids.  But I think it's a shame that, as a society, we have got ourselves into a position where poorly kids have to be sent to school so that parents can keep a roof over their head.

I guess all we can do is make sure we practise good nutrition and take care of the family's health in order to stave off as many of these horrid bugs as possible.

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You Can't Afford Fear - GO HAVE YOUR SMEAR

It's fair to say that the husband is fully familiar with many of the University Hospital of Wales gynaecological corridors. (That's not a euphemism by the way). A while ago he was there to hold my hand (or at least read a book on complex computer coding in the same room) whilst I had a colposcopy.

An abnormal smear result meant I had to attend for an examination of my cervix. Now, lest you think this is all too much information - and I have to say I feel slightly squeamish even writing about it, I want to make a very important point - of which more later.

Leaving aside the fear engendered by a typically uninformative NHS letter (dear blah, you may, or may not have something wrong with you and in order to avoid any medical negligence claim whatsoever, we're not about to indicate what your results really were, leaving you to worry just a tinsy winsy bit), the thought that the old bod might be even more defective than even my legendary pessimism accounted for, threw me into a tailspin of gloom.

And of course, I did the worse possible thing - I googled it.

Attending the hospital appointment with designs for a huge Victorian marble mausoleum swirling in my head (if you're going to go, go in style I say) and having extracted a promise from my sister that she would ensure my tomb would be kept pristine white (although she did mutter about being "out of vim"), I sat like a naughty child in front of the headmistress, awaiting my fate.

What I had not been told (and frankly I thought I should have) was that since my abnormal cells were glandular, I would automatically have to have a Lletz treatment where a patch of abnormal cells are removed using an electrified hook and then sent off to a lab for a biopsy. The two nurses couldn't have been nicer although the procedure is not entirely without discomfort, despite the administration of local anaesthetic (the same dentists use apparently).

What was relevant though for women everywhere is that because I had not missed a single smear, my results were there for the colposcopist to see and she could tell that any changes were recent.

If you have an abnormal smear result, it does NOT mean that you have cancer, merely that there are changes to your cervical cells which may become cancerous over time.

If you do not attend for your smear (and I was told that some women have as much as a ten year gap between smears), you could effectively be playing Russian Roulette with your health. Because, the quicker an abnormal result is identified, the quicker any potential dealings with the 'Big C' can be dealt with.

Source: www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk 

I know that having a smear is not always a pleasant experience but compared to later medical intervention, it's really not so much of an effort, is it?

We are lucky in the UK to have a system which identifies and deals with changes before they become real problems and I have never understood why women baulk at taking advantage of this.

I had to wait a few weeks for the results of my biopsy but the staff told me that the prognosis was good.

I will be honest and say that I did not enjoy the waiting period and found it hard not to give in to rather black thoughts but I was comforted by the fact that the likelihood of there being anything really horrible present was very low.

On the other hand, if I had NOT gone for a smear and these changes had not been picked up, this could have been a far more gloomy post altogether.

PLEASE GO FOR YOUR SMEAR!

Update: It turned out I had a benign cyst on my cervix which was affecting the result of my smear. This was removed via a day surgery procedure under general anaesthetic and I am now fine. 

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Dealing With Your Child's Sports Team Injuries

We are constantly encouraged to lead healthy lives through regular physical activity, as are our children and one way we can do this is by joining a sports team. Football, hockey, netball, rugby - it doesn’t matter what sport you or your children take part in, just as long you all enjoy it.

While being part of a sports team comes with many benefits, from staying healthy to making new friends, it also comes with a risk or two, one of which is injuries. 

Image source:

Whether it’s your kids that are part of a sports team or your partner, the chances are that at some point or another, someone is going to get injured.

It could be a minor injury such as a cut or a couple of grazes, or it could be something a little worse - whatever the injury, it’s important to ensure that you know how to deal with it.

Want to know how to deal with all manner or sports injuries? Read on.

Remain calm

Whether you see the injury take place or get a phone call from the team coach, it’s important to stay calm.

No matter what has happened, be it a bump to the head or a potentially broken bone, getting stressed isn’t going to help the situation.

The most important thing is to approach things with a cool head so that you’re able to think clearly about what to do.

The first question that you need to focus on is whether they - your partner or child, should come off the pitch or whether they can continue to play the rest of the game. This will depend on the nature of their injury and how serious it is.

Assess whether medical care is required

The next step is to assess whether medical care is required. If your partner or child has a head injury, is bleeding heavily, or has a potentially broken bone, then immediate medical attention is needed.

You can either call an ambulance - if you think the injury warrants emergency care, or you can take them to the local accident and emergency department.

If the injury isn’t too serious, then immediate medical care may not be required. However, rehabilitation care, such as physiotherapy, may be needed to help them get back on their feet.

If this is the case, it could be worth looking into going private for their care by contacting a hospital such as Highgate Private Hospital, as often NHS waiting lists are extremely long.

If you’ve got medical insurance, this shouldn’t cost you anything. If however, you don’t have medical insurance, you will have to cover the cost of any treatment fees.

Make the patient comfortable and encourage them to rest

Once you get the patient home, make them comfortable and encourage them to rest. If it’s a minor injury they have suffered from and you haven’t sought medical advice, make sure to keep an eye on them, to ensure that they are definitely okay.

If they’re in pain, give them some painkillers, get them comfortable in bed or on the sofa, and take care of them, with a little rest they should soon be feeling better.

Being on a sports team comes with many benefits. However, it also comes with a risk of injury. The chances are that at one point or another, anyone who’s part of a sports team will get injured, so you need to be prepared for that.

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How am I doing on the LighterLife Fast Blogger Challenge - Week 2?

Hmm.  Well I must be honest I had expected the weight to fall off a lot faster.  So far I've lost the princely amount of half a pound.

Now I will be honest and say that I did cheat on my 3rd fast day and ate a sausage and some baked beans for tea instead of the LighterLife Fast ready meal I was supposed to have.

But that's the only transgression I've made.

As you will recall from my previous post, the LighterLife Fast programme is a version of the 5:2 diet where you restrict your calories on 2 days of the week and then eat normally for the remaining 5.

The problem is, I think, with the definition of "eating normally".

There are several reasons why the weight isn't shifting and this is why you really can't have a "one diet fits all" approach.

I can't compare my weight loss with yours over the same period because we may have different metabolisms or retain more water.

As a menopausal woman with a thyroid problem I suppose I should expect weight loss to be a little more challenging.

Here are my 'issues' (oh alright then - excuses)

Lack of support

It's not surprising the group support is such an important feature of the other LighterLife weight loss programmes.

It's bloody hard eating something from a sachet when the family are tucking into a home-cooked tea.

Motivation

You really have to want to do this.  Again, this comes back to support and having a 'diet buddy' to share your progress with.

You have to adjust your eating on the other 5 days

You may say this is blindingly obvious but the danger with restricting calories on 2 days is that you tend to load up on the other 5.

So it's really a diet plan that is 7 day not 2 day.  After all, it was "eating normally" that started to put the weight on in the first place.

I am surprised though how little difference calorie restriction has made so far.

I really miss fresh food

There's no denying that the LighterLife Fast plan is incredibly convenient.  A trip to my local Superdrug found shelves well stocked with a good variety of the brand's soups, shakes and ready meals. (The products are exclusive to Superdrug).

One of the key benefits of this plan is that it's a no-brainer, no cook, no stress method of eating and although the products are formulated to ensure you don't miss out on nutrition, there's nothing like eating fresh food - particularly fruit and veg.

You need to increase your daily activity

Again, hardly rocket science but I think I need to dramatically increase my activity levels.  At the moment on weekdays it consists of walking about a mile on the 2 school runs and little else!

So that's where I am today, at the start of my 4th fast day (half way through my challenge).

I've just had Apple & Cinnamon porridge (155 cals) which was hot and tasty so let's see how I get on.

I would like to see a weight loss of at least 3-4 pounds within a month, ideally 7 pounds which would be realistically achievable with other diets.

Wish me luck.

You can find more about the LighterLife Fast plan at www.lighterlife.com, on Facebook or Twitter.

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I've Taken The LighterLife Fast Blogger Challenge

Weight is such a subjective thing, isn't it?  There's the weight we are supposed to have for optimum health and then the personal weight we have where we feel at our best.

Many of us fall over both of these figures on the weighing scales.

My starting weight at 10 st 3lbs

There are acres of material on the subject of diets.  A new trend appears every few months or so which generally requires an expensive trip to the supermarket to stock up on Quinoa, Kale and, given the current 'national courgette shortage', the humble rival to the cucumber.

But who has time for all that?  And if you struggle with your cooking mojo, you really aren't going to whip up something with miso, fish stock and noodles when the kids are demanding fishfingers.

My interest in the 5:2 diet (or intermittent fasting as it is otherwise know) began when I read that eating this way has greater implications for our health than the other diets I have come across.

It is claimed that intermittent fasting can

*increase lifespan
*improve cognitive function
*protect against conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
*protection from disease in general.

Intermittent fasting is where you restrict your calories for 2 days a week and then eat 'normally' for the remaining 5.

The jury, of course, is out as usual but logic tells me that most of us eat far too much.

Even as long ago as 1600, the physician Thomas Moffet had this to say:-

"Men dig their Graves with their own Teeth and die more by those fated Instruments than by the Weapons of their Enemies."

You get the feeling this is really not a new problem, don't you?

I am currently 10 stone 3lbs which is about 7lbs over where I would like to be.  I'm actually a stone heavier now than I was on my wedding day on 25th November 2011 and now I am on the brink of Menopause, I am aware that weight loss might be more of a challenge than it was previously.

All of which is a rather long preamble to say that I have currently taken on the LighterLife Fast blogger challenge to try their 5:2 Weight Loss Made Easy Diet where you simply choose from 4 out of a wide selection of their products including soups, shakes, ready meals and bars.  

They say that a combination of any 4 of their products will give you 100% nutrition - i.e. 100% of the recommended intake of vitamins and minerals with plenty of protein and fibre.

LighterLife Fast is a 5:2 range designed to maintain your weight or help you lose 1 or 2lbs a week, so a small and steady weight loss programme.

The products are exclusive to Superdrug and you can buy them online.

I will be taking on this challenge for one month and tomorrow sees my third fasting day (or the first fasting day of my second week).  I am fasting every Monday and Thursday which leaves the weekend clear for 'normal' family meals.

Here's what I've found so far:-

* you don't feel hungry and it doesn't feel like fasting

* the products taste good and there is sufficient variety to get you through the day

* you have to resist the urge to eat extra the next day to make up for your deprivation!

* you need to have pretty strong motivation to stick to it.
* it's a bit odd not eating when the rest of the family are tucking in to regular meals.

This is the ideal diet, I suggest to try before a special event like a wedding or in preparation for hitting the beach this summer.

I'll be reporting back to let you know how I've got on and I'm hoping that this way of eating might be something I can do on a longer term basis.

We'll see.

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How Being An Optimist Helps You Win

Don't you find you are naturally drawn to optimistic, upbeat people?  I do.  Well some of the time at least.

I am aware, though, that maintaining a "glass half full" outlook is probably better for me than being a Mrs Mardy-Guts.

Founder of www.vavistalife.com, Health Expert and NHS weight loss consultant surgeon Dr Sally Norton spells out the benefits of optimism below.

Many people see positivity as a genetic trait – something they are either born with, or not. In the same way that we might talk about our eye colour or height, many of us will describe ourselves as naturally optimistic or pessimistic.

However, your brain can change!

In the same way that we can train our brains to appreciate healthy food, we can train ourselves to have a more positive outlook on life.

When you find yourself thinking those negative thoughts about yourself, your circumstances, or even about others, STOP!

Instead, force yourself to think of three positive things instead – there will always be something. If you persevere with looking for the good, instead of the bad, it will become a habit.

It’s well worth the effort – the benefits of being more optimistic are now being recognised in numerous studies …

Improved heart health

According to a new study from the University of Illinois, having a positive outlook on life could provide you with better heart health.

The study of more than 5,100 adults, found that those people who were most optimistic, were twice as likely to be in ideal cardiovascular health, compared with their pessimistic counterparts, with significantly better blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Not only this, but the optimists were also more likely to be physically active and have healthier BMIs.

Image credit www.vavistalife.com

More likely to succeed

You might think that succeeding would lead you to feeling happier, but in actual fact, it works the other way round.

Studies show that positivity and a happier outlook will increase your chances of success.

For example, did you know that ¾ of our success at work is linked to our optimism and how well we manage and deal with stress, rather than our IQ?

And being positive could help you to achieve better results in smaller tasks – in fact, studies have shown that people who are encouraged to think positively before a maths test actually did better than others!

Better chances of ditching the junk food

Struggling to lose that last half a stone? We all know that when we’re feeling negative, we instinctively turn to sugary and fatty foods that will give our bodies a quick burst of energy and feel-good hormones.

However, this is swiftly followed by a crash in our blood sugar levels – leaving us feeling even worse than before.

These junk foods also do little to help us lose any weight, adding to those negative feelings that left us reaching for the junk food in the first place!

So instead, try focusing on the positives – think about how hard you’ve worked so far, and how good you’ll feel when you finally reach your goal weight, and you’ll find those negative yearnings for junk food soon dissipate!

More likely to stick with your fitness goals

Thinking about fitness in a negative way will make you more likely to bail at the first opportunity.

Studies show that a positive frame of mind helps people to stick with their fitness regimes as well as their healthy eating goals.

Once you get exercising, that positivity is helped even more by the endorphins or feel-good hormones that exercise releases.

If you find that the thought of heading to the gym leaves you feeling miserable, then ditch the gym!

Try finding different ways you could keep fit – fitness classes, swimming, or brisk walks in the fresh air.

There’s something out there for everyone, and when you’ve found an activity that you really enjoy, those positive feelings will make you more likely to stick with it for the long-haul.

Some pretty good reasons to try to be less Eyore and more Tigger, I'm sure you'll agree!

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Puressentiel Anti Lice Treatment Lotion & Spray - See Off Nits The Natural Way

Well 2017 started with an itch.

Yes, we succumbed to those pesky head lice and spent the days before the new term combing, spraying and basically trying to nuke the little critters with pretty much any solution we could get our hands on.

Even worse?  I got them.

And let me tell you if you have long-ish hair they are a nightmare.

If you have coloured hair, an additional joyous problem is that many of the chemical nit preparations on the market do a sterling job of stripping out your hair colour if you dye your hair.

This was our first time with the blight and we didn't really know much about them.

What are the signs of head lice?

If your child comes home complaining of an itchy scalp then it's time to start checking for "visitors" - particularly if the itchiness is behind the ears, near the nape of the neck and along the hairline.

Head lice are tiny insects that live in hair and nits are the empty egg cases attached to hair that head lice hatch from.

What does a louse look like anyway?

Image Credit: The Female Head Louse

A head louse is a small insect, visible to the naked eye, about the size of a sesame seed (2 to 3 mm), which lives on the scalp and feeds on human blood.

It has six legs armed with pincers used to cling to the hair, they move very quickly, which explains why it is so hard to catch them.

The exciting life of a louse

The life cycle of a louse lasts approximately 50 days during which female lice lay 5 to 10 eggs (nits) per day.

After a week, the egg hatches and the embryo becomes a larva, which will reach adulthood in 2 weeks.

The adult lice live for about 30 days on a person’s head. The lice multiply rapidly, so you must act quickly.

Head Lice Myths

Lice are a sign of poor hygiene.

No - getting head lice has nothing to do with your family’s hygiene habits. In fact, lice are very resistant to soap and water.

You should keep your kids home from school.

No - taking time off school is not necessary.

Although the back-to-school period is an ideal time for lice to spread due to close contact between children, the transmission of the lice occurs directly through contact between two children (touching hair).

There is also a slight chance of catching them by sharing combs and brushes.

Lice cannot fly, jump or survive longer than 4 to 36 hours away from the scalp.

So how do we get rid of lice?

Basically you can either use synthetic chemicals which can be harmful to the environment - and therefore possibly you (such as those formulated with dimethicone and silicone derivative) or lotions formulated with vegetable oils which are natural such as the Puressentiel Anti-Lice range which is guaranteed to be 100% natural.

Both methods aim to suffocate the lice but whilst the chemical formulae are aggressive, neurotoxic and irritating to the scalp, the natural versions coat the lice with greasy substances which obstruct their respiratory openings.

Over the past 10 years, research suggests that lice have in fact become resistant to the chemical anti-lice products which, given the hefty price tag some of them carry, is very frustrating indeed.

A natural way to get rid of lice

Puressentiel Anti-Lice Treatment Lotion on the other hand is made from essential oils and naturally active ingredients.

It was created by the French family-owned Laboratoire Puressentiel in 2005 - a company specialising in the design of aromatherapy and plant based organic products.

Lotions are considered to be more effective than shampoos because they are more concentrated. After all,  shampoos are diluted with water.

The lotion kills lice, larvae and nits safely and comes with a handy nit comb. You won't find any chemicals.  Its 100% natural formula contains plant oils such as coconut, calophyllum, jojoba, sunflower, sweet almond and castor, which act mechanically by obstructing the respiratory openings of the lice, larvae and nits.

The lice are unable to develop resistance due to the asphyxiation mechanism.

There are also essential oils of lavender, clove, tea tree, geranium, which are soothing and antiseptic, ideal for relieving scalp itching.

Its formula is gentle on hair and the environment, and leaves hair silky and shiny.

The applicator bottle is easy and practical to use and it has a fresh and pleasant fragrance, unlike some of the synthetic lotions.

It is suitable for use by adults and children over 3 years.

Best of all, it starts to work after only 10 minutes.

There is also Puressentiel Repellant Spray which offers effective protection against lice for up to 24 hours in the event of an outbreak.

It contains Citriodiol®, a 100% natural substance derived from lemon Eucalyptus essential oil which has a repellent action to rival its chemical rivals.

What did I think?

I found both products easy to use and loved that there was no harsh chemical smell.  I tested the anti-lice lotion exactly as instructed and found that it did not irritate my scalp.

Because it is an oil based product, you may find you need a shampoo for oily hair to wash it out effectively - and possibly more than one wash.

I used my usual conditioner afterwards, although you can just treat, wash and detangle using the nit comb provided.

The comb is of good quality and built to last - which is handy!

My hair was left in good condition without any lingering scent of the product and my scalp felt soother.

The kids tested the spray which, is easy to apply and comb through and doesn't leave the hair greasy.

Puressentiel Anti-Lice Treatment Lotion + Comb and Puressentiel Lice Repellant Spray are available at Boots, online at Amazon and currently 50% off at Lloyds Pharmacy in-store and online – currently priced at £6.49.

Puressentiel also offer a range of other natural products including their Purifying, Respiratory, Rest & Relax and Muscles & Joints ranges, as well as a selection of diffusers.

The company is committed to respecting nature by adopting an eco-responsible attitude, from the harvesting of the raw materials to the manufacturing of each of its products.

If you are looking for a safer, natural solution to the annoying problem of head lice, Puressential is well worth a try.

Find out more at www.puressentiel.com.  You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook.

*collaborative post

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Review: The TomTom Touch Fitness Tracker - Sleek, Simple, Effective

There are so many fitness trackers on the market that I have to be honest here and say that the TomTom Touch Fitness Tracker hadn't crossed my radar, so to speak.

But I am very glad it has.

I am what you might call a spasmodic exerciser but although I am not a gym bunny, I do make sure that I am active every day.

As it turns out, the TomTom Touch tells me I am nowhere near active enough!

The TomTom Touch is a water-resistant and comfy-to-wear fitness tracker which sits in a flexible silicone strap that you wear like a watch.

It is a great gadget to use when you want to overhaul your daily routine to include more exercise.

It captures steps, active time, calories burned, heart rate and sleep time.  You can use it to measure your fat and muscle mass percentage and monitor your heart rate throughout the day to get an idea of your fitness level.

You need to press a button to wake the screen up.  Then you scroll up and down on the front of the tracker unit to get to the other screens.

Swipe up for current step count, calorie count, distance travelled, last sleep duration and exercise duration.

Swipe down for the body fat scanner, heart rate sensor and exercise logger.

The TomTom Touch syncs with an online app to track your progress and for the body composition logger, the result can only be read on the app.

It is water-resistant so you could wear it in the shower but not go swimming wearing it.

The TomTom Touch does not have GPS so if you're looking for a tracker to go running outdoors with, this may not be the right choice for you.

I found the tracker great for my daily school run trips and family outings to our local parks and nature reserve.  I definitely found myself wanting to walk further to rack up those steps!

My Coaching Squad - Tough But Cute

This tracker has an optical heart rate sensor and a body fat scanner.

The heart rate monitor is only really designed to check your resting heart rate so, again, if you want to check your hart rate during vigorous exercise, you may need a different TomTom tracker.

I did struggle a little with the fat scanner.  To get it to work you have to place your finger on the sensor and hold it there for 10 seconds. You then get a reading of the amount of fat and muscle in your body which you can see on the app.

It took us a while to work out that your finger needs to be parallel to the screen rather than vertical and it sometimes takes a couple of attempts to get the tracker to acknowledge the reading.

It does this by giving you a tick if it has worked or a cross if it hasn't.

I was, I confess, mildly horrified by my fat reading of over 30% and if that isn't an incentive to back away from the Welsh Cakes, I don't know what is!

It also has a vibration motor, which can signal very basic call and text notifications from your phone.

The app "MySports' allows you to track your heart rate readings and set goals for your sport activity. via a selection of pie charts and graphs.

The only function I didn't use was the sleep function as I dislike the idea of wearing a tracker while I sleep but I may yet try it out for the odd "mum nap"!

Whilst this tracker may not set the world on fire, for those of us who are getting on track with fitness trackers, it's a great entry-level unit which doesn't cost the earth and presents the information in basic, but easy to understand ways.

Training intensively at The Star Inn, Dinas Powys

I suspect that lots of the bells and whistles on some of the TomTom Touch's rivals wouldn't be used anyway.

An addition I would like to see which the FitBit Alta has is an alarm for when you have been sedentary for too long.

I also found the TomTom Touch very comfortable to wear and not too chunky to cause a problem with sleeves in coats and jackets.

It is a great little tool to literally have up your sleeve throughout the day to keep an easy on how mobile you are being.

It isn't a high fashion item but it does look quite stylish and it does have a comparable price tag with its rivals - £89.99.

One small gripe, although the battery charge is supposed to last up to 5 days, I found I had to recharge it every 3 days or so but the USB cable is permanently attached to my laptop so I can easily charge it each day if needed.

We found that using a fitness tracker is a great way to encourage the whole family to take more exercise - especially your kids.  You can talk to them about how much we should all be moving each day - the minimum being 5000 steps.

In summary I would say this is a great 'entry level' fitness tracker and ideal for someone who is flummoxed by too many bells and whistles and just wants something to "do what it says on the tin".

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Win Callanetics Countdown: 30 Days To A More Beautiful Body Exercise DVD

30 years ago Callan Pinckney created the very first Callanetics exercise programme which was released on video and subsequently garnered world wide fame.

Pinckney’s first book Callanetics: 10 Years Younger in 10 Hours was first published in 1984 and spent two years at the top of the New York Best Seller list. The first video of the program, “Callanetics” was released in 1986 and became the All Time Biggest Selling fitness video in both the UK and US.

Callan Pinckney was declared the “High Priestess of the new Fitness” by Vogue magazine.

Now Callan has released a new version "Countdown: 30 Days To A More Beautiful Body" on DVD.

It's a 30-day program designed to get your body in great shape, quickly and effectively.

Callanetics is a series of stretching and contracting exercises that activate the body’s largest muscles groups, using tiny, gentle, precise movements, called pulses. These pulses reach deep into the muscles to give you a strong, firm body, without adding bulk.

The exercise classes are presented by Lacey Kondi and her team as they help you to take your first step towards a lovelier body.

CaIlanetics helps you defy gravity. As many students have said, Callanetics is like a face-lift for your body. Most of all, the unique movements of Callanetics strengthen and relax you at the same time.

No longer will you feel exhausted or drained after a workout. You’ll feel energized and empowered.

The Callanetics Countdown is made up of 3 levels, each one getting progressively more challenging and included with the DVD is a 30 day recipe booklet to follow alongside the Callanetics 30 day programme, with delicious nutritionally balanced meal suggestions and recipes to try.

I really enjoyed this DVD and am currently on the first level of the 30 day programme.  I find it leaves me feeling invigorated without feeling hot and sweaty (very good for us ladies of a certain age!).

Lacey does speak rather fast so you do have to pay attention but for those of us with hearing loss there are great subtitles!  I wish other exercise DVDs had these.

The routines are easy to understand and follow in a gentle way.  This isn't a power-based, shouty work-out.

If you are looking for something that allows you to really focus on the parts of the body you are working, why not give this one a try?

I will certainly be carrying on to complete my 30 days to get rid of those Christmas excesses!

I have one copy to give away to a lucky winner.  Simply enter via the Rafflecopter widget in the usual way.  Terms and conditions are available to read on my Competitions Page.  UK entrants only and the giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Friday 20th January.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you can't wait to start your Callanetics Countdown, you can find the DVD on Amazon and the other usual retail outlets priced £12.99.

*promotional copy received for the purpose of this review. Post contains affiliate link

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