Keeping to the same fitness plan everyday gets boring and no fun after a while.  Introducing some variety and different exercises into a fitness plan helps boost the fun and overall fitness.  If you’re not a fitness guru, it can be difficult to come up with a new fitness plan each day.  Use this handy fitness generator to create a fun new fitness plan based on goals and objectives.

Using this fitness tool at MensHealth,  you can have have a fun new fitness plan each day. Enter the sort of fitness exercise you want – Gym or Outdoor and select your fitness aim – weight-loss, tone-up, bulk-up, increase strength. Decide how much time you have and a new detailed fitness plan is generated.

The plan gives details including the type of fitness exercise to do, the duration, and variations in resistance.  Much cheaper than a fitness trainer.

Windows. Slouching over a laptop blogging all day will eventually take it’s toll on your wrists and back.  And if you’re like me, it’s not always top of your priority list to take 10 minutes out to do some stretches to loosen things up. With this great little free app, you can set up some reminders to force you to take a break every so often.

Big Stretch Reminder will sit happily in your system tray until a predefined time period of your choice arrives at which point an alert will appear offering either RSI tips or a message of your choosing.

You have the option of choosing an alert mode which can be either a discrete bubble allowing you to continue working, or a Micro Break which blocks the desktop.  You can also set a sound to accompany your alert and the tray icon can act as a countdown indicator to the next break.

If like me, you tend to push on through the day,  this little Micro-Break message can save the aching hands from getting worse.

Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7

Download Big Stretch

I love little utility programmes like this. Let me know if you have any RSI prevention tools and apps.

Relieve tired eyes and eye strain with F.lux

If you’re staying up on the laptop too late, and developing square eyes syndrome, you could try installing f.lux on you PC, Mac or Linux based system.  F.lux makes the colour of your computer’s display adapt to the time of day – warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

f.lux makes your computer screen look like the room you’re in, all the time. When the sun sets, it makes the computer look like the indoor lights. In the morning, it makes things look like sunlight again.

Tell f.lux what kind of lighting you have, and where you live to enjoy less eye strain.

Beer and wine are loaded not only with calories, but with sugars that transfer into empty calories and carbs that stick around for a long time. The best way to get rid of these excess carbs is with some gentle exercise – walking, jogging, running and so on.  We’ll help you find out just how much exercise is needed to burn off those weekend drinks.

How Many Calories Did I Drink?

There is a great little tool at DrinkAware which allows you to enter how many drinks you had the night before.  It then shows you how many calories and alcohol units that is. We’ve done the basic calculations for you below, but you can click the image to take you to the calculator.

Calories burned whilst exercising

The amount of calories you burn depends on your height, weight and how fast or slow you jog.   As a rough rule of thumb, here are some basic figures for 10 minutes of exercise.

You can use the calculator here for other activities.

Exercise to burn off the drink

By using the two basic figures above,  we can calculate how many minutes you need to run for to burn off those alcoholic drinks. The figures below assume a running pace of 10-minute-miles, a walking pace for walking the dog, and a weight of 70KG.

Sources
Drinkaware.co.uk
ProHealth

If you’re one of the ever growing population of home workers and office workers,  it’s important to do some regular exercises and stretches at your desk.  These simple exercises will help to stop muscle aches and pains when sitting in the same position for an extended period of time.  Hopefully by following these simple exercises at work, you’ll improve your flexibility and reduce the risk of injury. 

We’ve creamed off perhaps the best exercises from various source for you below.

Eye Exercises to reduce eye strain
Look around the office and pick objects to focus on that are near, a bit further away, and then as far away as you can see. To relax your eyes all that you need to do is close your eyes, and place the second finger of each hand horizontally resting across your eye very gently (not applying any pressure).

Back Massage
Sit upright at your desk.  Place a tennis ball between your back and the chair. Sway your back left and right to release the tension in the muscles.  Repeat with the tennis ball further up and further down the back as necessary.

Back Stretches
Lean forward slowly, and slowly move your head down in the direction of your knees, and your hands falling to your ankles. Hold this for ten seconds, and then return to starting position.

Neck Stretches
Sit tall. Keep face forward, try to touch your left shoulder with your left ear. Hold. return head upright. Repeat on the right. Do not tense or hunch shoulders.

Tone the Butt
Sit at the desk as normal, and squeeze your buttocks as tight as you can for ten seconds, then return to normal position. Repeat this about ten times a few times a day.

Wrist Exercises
Start with elbows tucked in, with the palms of your hands turned round to face your body directly. Rotate your hands from the wrist inwards, finishing with the fingers pointing at each other, stretched out. Then rotate again until downwards and so on, rotating around the whole circle. 

Wrist Pull
Put shoulders back and down. Flex your wrist. Make a fist. Rotate your wrist outwards. Keep your arm close to your body.

Finger Stretches
With palms face down, spread your fingers as wide as possible. Hold for a few seconds then relax your fingers.

Chair Twists
Sit sideways on your chair, with the chair back on your right. Make sure that your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are in line with your hips. Grasp the sides of the chair back, one hand at each end, and gently rotate your torso towards it, pushing the right hand away and pulling the left hand in towards you. Look over your right shoulder and hold the posture for 20-30 seconds, breathing freely. Repeat facing the other way.

Sitting Pull Twist
Follow this simple Sitting Pull Twist video.

Visit the following sites for further desk exercises.

The Guardian
Tell me how to Desk Exercises
University of London

Spring cleaning will soon be here, and that usually means going through the cupboards,  and pulling out those tins and jars with expiry dates long passed.   It’s not always easy knowing how long food really lasts once opened. When you’re at the shops it’s not always possible to know if that mayo you bought last week will last. With this simple and innovative guide to food expiry dates,  you’re sure to have fresh produce available all the time.

Some of the more surprising expiration dates include Nutella 4 months (usually no more than a week!), Tabasco 2-5years, and Vegemite 2 months. Although the author of the table suggests that Vegemite is unfit for human consumption as soon as it is opened.  Love it or hate it.

Visit The Periodic Table of Condiments.

VirtualGym TV broadcast a hugh number of health and fitness exercise sessions over a raft of genre’s including Aerobics, Step Aerobics, Combat, Pilates, Dance, Tai Chi, Core Strength Conditioning, Stability Ball, Legs, Bums & Tums, Circuit Training, Spin / Stationary Bike, Interval Training and sessions including meditation/relaxation sessions.

All classes can be viewed using Windows Media Player, and can be viewed in full screen. Sessions can also be burnt to DVD and played back on a standard DVD player, or you can stream the video file directly to your TV from your computer

Unlimited access is possible using various monthly subscriptions (min £5/month) by paying monthly or anually.  This involves basically paying in advance giving you a lower fee. Also,  you can simply use pay as you go where you pay an annual fee of  £15, and you’ll be billed for each session you’ve viewed or downloaded.  Each session will cost between 60p and £1.  But you won’t have access to the personal trainer element.

Do you still need that expensive gym membership? How do you use the web to enhance your fitness?

Visit VirtualGym.TV

What’s your favourite recipe?

Visit http://www.perfectsmoothie.com/smoothie-recipes/