4 Benefits of Non-Stim Pre-Workouts

Posted on by

Traditional pre-workouts use caffeine and other stimulants to produce an energy boost, but sometimes it’s good to switch things up and use stim-free pre-workouts instead. This can be especially beneficial if you have issues with anxiety or trouble sleeping due to stimulants in your pre-workout supplement. This article will discuss the four benefits of using stim-free pre-workouts and recommend products that fit the bill.

1) Improve Your Mood

If you find that pre-workout supplements get you hyped for your training, but leave you feeling overstimulated and anxious in your everyday life, then a stim free pre workout could be just what you need. Stimulant free pre-workouts can also help with poor mood from dieting. In addition, stimulants can increase appetite, so reducing them can help keep hunger at bay.

Studies show that increased fitness levels link to reduced anxiety. Part of reducing your anxiety could be as simple as going for a morning run or hitting up a HIIT class.

2) Increase Focus

Non-stim pre-workouts help you get in your best workout without having to worry about experiencing a crash afterward. Because they’re stimulant-free, you can increase focus without worrying about feeling exhausted at work later on.

Also, the best pre-workouts contain choline. According to Legion Athletics, “Choline is a nutrient that’s vital for brain health and function, and glycerophosphate is a substance that helps transport choline to the brain.”

The benefits are plentiful. If you’re worried about stimulants and think they might be causing your increased heart rate or feelings of jitteriness, try one of these non-stim pre-workouts instead.

It’s a good idea to start slow with these products and see how you feel. Don’t use too much at first, as your body might not be used to it. If you still have negative side effects, try taking half of your normal serving size or discontinue use altogether.

3) No Crash After Workout

A stim-free pre-workout will ensure that you have enough energy to work out effectively without crashing after your workout. Many people report experiencing dizziness, fatigue, and mood swings after taking pre-workouts that contain stimulants. These issues can deter some people from working out altogether, so if you’re looking for a way to increase your motivation and enthusiasm while exercising, try a stim-free pre-workout.

There are a variety of ways to avoid experiencing these negative side effects, but switching from pre-workouts that contain stimulants is a smart choice.

4) Help Muscle Recovery

If you exercise regularly, it’s common to experience muscle soreness. Stimulant pre-workouts are known for making people feel good, but they can also speed up muscle recovery and repair by increasing blood flow throughout your body. If you have access to a gym, consider checking out your options in stim-free pre-workouts. Since they don’t have caffeine or other stimulants in them, they won’t keep you awake at night or cause any jitters.

Stim-free pre-workouts are an excellent alternative to those who don’t want to use stimulants. They’re not for everyone, but they have many benefits for those who use them.

Collaborative post with our brand partner.

Different Ways Your Bathtub Pillow Can Help Your Head, Body, and Back

Posted on by

Nothing is more aggravating than attempting to relax in the tub and not finding a comfortable position. Resting your head on the tub’s edge might become uncomfortable and painful after a long, and it can place your neck and back in an awkward position. You won’t rest even if you sit in the bath for a few minutes. Taking a relaxing bath, particularly with the assistance of a bath cushion, has several health and emotional benefits:

Nonslip and Hygienic

Without a doubt, you’ve tried using a towel as a headrest before discovering the bath pillows. Even yet, it continued to fall out and became inconvenient because it had to be replaced every time you took a bath. All bathtub pillows for head and back come with extra-strong suction cups to keep them firmly connected to the bathtub’s surface. Because of the material utilized in its manufacturing, it does not stick to the skin. 

It Helps Adjust Your Posture

Posture is extremely important, and it should never be overlooked. Look for a store that sells high-quality goods to help you keep a proper stance in the tub and avoid suffering. During the day, people create strange body postures; thus taking a bath helps them relax and avoid making themselves feel even worse. The bath pillows for tub are available in a variety of sizes, so you’ll be able to find one that fits your neck, shoulders, and head. This allows you to bath for as long as you like without becoming tired.

Stress and Neck Tightness Can Be Eased

A bath after a long day can be a relaxing way to unwind and let go of some of life’s concerns. Warm water helps you stay cool, and a bath pillow can make the experience more relaxing and comfortable. All of your troubles will go if you use a beautiful pillow. A cushion also supports your neck, which is an important feature. You’re likely to endure pain and discomfort if you sit for a long time without supporting your neck. Resting your neck and head on something will help, and the best option is a cushion.

Creates A Spa Experience and Staying in The Tub for Longer

Going to a spa is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. However, you may recreate this sensation at home with the help of a bathtub pillows for head and back. To make the experience merrier, add some candles and your bath bomb of choice. If you can’t relax in the bathtub, you’re not going to stay in the warm water long enough to reap all of the therapeutic effects. Use a pillow to allow you to spend as much time as you like in the bath.

Taking a bath can be a great way to unwind when you finish your day. Turn on the faucet after your nighttime workout, or take a warm bath to start your day. Whatever the case may be, you’ll feel more at ease, productive, and capable of dealing with whatever life throws at you. If you have a bath pillows for tub, you’ll be on your way to heaven in no time.

Collaborative post with our brand partner.

Five Days Missing by Caroline Corcoran

Posted on by

It takes a brave author to tackle a difficult subject, and a mother leaving her newborn baby is certainly one of those. I was intrigued to find out how the author would make this book work. All I have to say is: wow. Five Days Missing flows perfectly with not a word out of place.Just when you think you know exactly what is happening another layer is peeled away.

The characters are all fascinating and believable. I loved most of them. I raced through this novel and enjoyed every page. It’s a masterclass of a psychological thriller. I am going to have to insist that you read it.
five days missing, caroline Corcoran

Having a baby is all about firsts. The first touch. The first kiss. The first cuddle. They mark a lifetime of firsts – including the first goodbye.

 

When Romilly says goodbye to her new baby daughter, abandoning her at the hospital hours after giving birth, no one can understand why she would leave – and where she has gone.

 

In those first few hours she had been the image of a doting mother and would have done anything to protect her baby.

Something has clearly gone wrong. Could it be that Romilly is suffering from postpartum psychosis, just as her mother did?

 

Or is something even worse at hand? A danger so grave that she would leave her longed-for daughter to escape it…

 

Caroline Corcoran’s first novel, Through The Wall, came out in October 2019. It was a Sunday Times top 20 bestseller and translated into numerous foreign languages. Her second book, The Baby Group, published in September 2020. As well as writing books, Caroline is a freelance lifestyle and popular culture journalist who has written and edited for most of the top magazines, newspapers and websites in the UK.

Out now.

4 Alternative Uses of an Office Chair Cushion You Need to Know

Posted on by

An office chair cushion is a multipurpose product that is not only used on office chairs but can also serve other purposes. It helps in many other situations in your daily life and you will be impressed with what it can do for you. So don’t hesitate to buy a seat cushion thinking that it is only for only office chairs yet you don’t own one. Following are the unique benefits of an office chair cushion:

 

  1. Wheel Chair Support

 

Do you have an elderly person or a patient in your home who moves in a wheelchair? Well, if yes, the best gift you can give he or she is a seat cushion. Wondering why? This is because sitting for long hours in a wheelchair causes backache as most of them to lack the needed ergonomics to give your back the needed support.

 

So if you put an office chair cushion in the wheelchair, your patient or elderly person gets the needed support for the backbone. He or she won’t experience any pain no matter the duration of his or her stay in the wheelchair.

 

  1. Car Seat Support

 

Your car seat doesn’t provide enough back support and it tends to wear with time, which leads to the loss of its ergonomic benefits. This means you need a seat cushion to give you the needed back support while driving. If you drive long distances, you need a cushion to boost your comfort throughout your journey.

 

It saves you from all the side effects that come along with driving for long hours, such as the back, neck, and leg pain. This is because the pillow positions your body in the right posture throughout your drive.

 

  1. Gaming Chair Support

 

Are you a gaming fan and you spend a lot of time playing? Well, one of the common challenges faced by gamers is backache due to sitting for long hours. It causes discomfort which affects your concentration as you play and this lowers your winning chances.

 

So if you need to have undisturbed gaming experiences, you need to get a seat cushion for your chair. It holds your body in the right position and gives your back the needed support which allows you to enjoy your games as long as you want without any back pain.

 

  1. Aeroplane Seat Support

 

Long flights take several hours and this means you have to sit for a long time, which normally leads to pain in several parts of your body. However, to boost your flight experience no matter its duration, you need to keep a seat pillow handy.

 

The good news is that many of them are portable and you can move with one wherever you go. It gives you all the needed comfort on your flight and your back and neck won’t be strained.

 

Enjoy Office Chair Multipurpose Benefits

 

Boost the efficiency or productivity of your office chair cushion by using it for some of the above purposes or you can buy another for them.

Collaborative post with our brand partner.

Some Common Signs of Bipolar Disorder

Posted on by

With so many mental health problems plaguing the lives of people these days, it can be difficult to know what to look for in terms of symptoms. Some symptoms are similar across a range of disorders, and with conditions such as bipolar disorder, there are various symptoms that you have to look for. Many of those who suffer from this condition do not realize that they have it, and they do not seek medical intervention or treatment. This can be very risky and can result in a vastly reduced quality of life.

There are all sorts of options that may be considered if you are diagnosed with this disorder, and this includes ketamine bipolar disorder treatment. Of course, before you can receive suitable treatment, you need to first get a diagnosis, and this means seeking advice and support from your healthcare provider. It is also worth familiarizing yourself with some of the common signs of this disorder. We will look at some of the common signs of bipolar disorders in this article.

Some of the Signs to Look For

There are various signs and symptoms to look out for in order to determine whether you or someone you know may be suffering from bipolar disorder. Some of the main ones include:

Episodes of Depression

One of the things you may experience when you have bipolar disorder is episodes of depression, and there are many symptoms that you may experience during these episodes. This includes irritability and sadness, loss of interest in life, lack of energy, feeling worthless, extreme pessimism, feeling delusional, having hallucinations, sleep difficulties, and thoughts of suicide.

Episodes of Mania or Hypomania

The other extreme of bipolar disorder is episodes of mania or even hypomania, and this is where you may experience extreme highs in sharp contrast to the lows your experience during a depressive episode. Some of the symptoms you may experience include speedy talking, agitation, feeling elated, having a lot of energy, feelings of grandeur, illogical thinking, not wanting to sleep or eat, making rash and illogical decisions, and more.

Cycling Episodes

As a sufferer of bipolar disorder, you will experience both highs and lows, although many experience lows more often than highs. Some also find that the episodes of depression and mania cycle rapidly, and this means that you can suddenly go from being extremely low to being extremely high in a very short space of time.

Getting Help and Treatment

The episodes and symptoms that you experience when you have bipolar disorder can make all aspects of your life very difficult to cope with. When you are roller-coasting from extreme lows to extreme highs, everything from maintaining relationships to being able to work can be affected.

This is why it is so important to seek medical advice and support if you feel you may have bipolar, as this means that treatment can then be considered. This can then make a big difference to both the symptoms and your life. 

 

SUNDAY SCENE: ROSIE PARKER ON HER FAVOURITE SCENE FROM ONLY HUMMINGBIRDS FLY BACKWARDS

Posted on by

I began writing this novel not long after my own brother had a motorbike accident leaving him brain damaged. It took me quite a few years and several novels later to be able to fictionalise and give this story over to other characters to breathe life and their own tale.

Only Hummingbirds centres around twins Ronnie and Jake, now grown with their own families. After Jake’s horrific accident the two families decide to go on holiday to Brittany.

Much of the action takes place on the beaches and sand dunes of two seaside resorts: a fictional one in Brittany (based on Beg Meil where I holidayed with my own family), and the Somerset one of Brean (where my brother and I went many times, as children).

This novel has twin timelines (early 1970s and late 1980s), twinned places (West Country and Brittany), and focuses on twins Ronnie and Jake (before and after their marriages). When the two families decide to holiday in Brittany secrets begin to surface. Will Ronnie’s marriage survive, will she succumb to the charms of Xavier, and will she get her impossible wish?

Some of the story is shown in flashback and some in the form of letters. Below is part of a flashback from when the twins were young and on a day trip to Brean.

‘Howzat!’ cries Dad, not bothering to keep a note of triumph out of his voice.

            ‘Aw,’ says Jake, dropping his cricket bat.

            ‘Not fair. You should have bowled underarm,’ I shout at Dad. But the wind carries my voice up and away, just as it had sailed the ball plop into Dad’s hand.

            ‘What?’ he calls out.

            ‘Oh. Never mind.’

            I glance over to where the cars are parked at the edge of the dunes. Brean Sands is long and flat, the beach damp and hard from drizzle and high tides. When you swim in the sea, you get covered in brown stuff. We’re never too sure if its silt from the Bristol Channel Estuary, or sewage from neighbouring Weston Super Mare. I wonder if Mum is getting out the sandwiches yet. There’s no sign of her.

Our neighbour Beryl waves from her deckchair which is parked next to Slimy Bob’s Hillman Minx. Both her and stupid Marilyn sit with floppy sunhats. Marilyn is ill, and I once thought it’d be like in the book Heidi, with me tending the sickly Marilyn, but I soon discovered being Heidi is much overrated.

            ‘Come on Veronica!’ Dad beckons to me with large gestures. ‘Look lively. It’s Jake’s turn to bowl.’

I’m still fielding.

            Jake runs up to the crease Dad has made in the sand with his bat, and bowls – overarm – and wide.

            ‘Bad luck, lad. Try again,’ shouts Dad, as I fetch the ball then throw it to Jake, who rubs it on his groin – like real cricketers do. He pounds up to the crease, bowls, and this time Dad hits it. High high up into the sky only to disappear into the dunes.

            ‘Six!’ shouts Dad. Showing off as usual. I half run, half walk to fetch the ball – my brown Clarks sandals plodding on the sand. Dad is a member of Clifton Cricket Club: Jake and I are only ten. Which tells you all you need to know about Dad’s competitiveness.

            The wind off the sea is quite strong, but I can hear a soft laugh from behind the next dune.

 

I write romcoms under my own name of Rosemary Dun – this novel I’ve used a pen name – Rosie Parker.

https://www.facebook.com/RosemaryDunAuthor

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corner shops and post offices are alive and well – particularly in Carlton Miniott – thank heavens…

Posted on by

Lockdown has, I believe, made us consider ‘community’ and over the months I have remembered our lives as children just post war, the rationing, the making do, the repayment of the country’s debt, the lack of complaint allowed by our parents. Why? Because we had been born too late to be part of the  generation of kids evacuated from their homes as the skies filled with bombers. We were not delivered by trains to bunk in with strangers in small villages for years, with some schooling if lucky, often half days, as the local children had the morning, the evacuees the afternoon. No online teaching for them. And while they were in rural areas, frequently their mothers were  victims of the bombing. Consequently we post-war kids were aware we were the lucky ones.

I remembered going to the corner shop with mum, holding out our ration cards for sweets. Boiled or liquorice I seem to remember. I remembered my mum chatting to everyone else who was registered at the corner shop, their ration cards at the ready too. Corner shops were a community asset. Corner shops were part of our lives, and then the supermarkets landed.

But… But … In Carlton Miniott a step from Thirsk , there is a corner shop, not admittedly on the corner, but it is a precious wonderful community asset. Carlton Stores and Post Ofice is family owned, there they all are, with a couple of helpers, but it is on Jack I inflict myself most often though they are all glad to see us, all glad to laugh with us, chat with us. In masks still , as the family cannpt afford to become unwell for who would run this priceless asset?

So, come with me, down the path, and into this world of wonders. Dad makes their very own coleslaw. I eat too much, we all do, it is scrumptious, and not a calorie included. Ho hum

.                                                              

You need a birthday card? There, over to the right, just along from the newspapers, and we have loyalty cards for well – cards, ‘There you go,’ Jack says. Stamp goes the -well – stamper. When full, we have a free card. So peruse the great choice carefully. But don’t take up too much room for it is here   we queue for the Post Office part. The queue gives one time to check the padded envelopes, and gather up cellotape from the shelves to your right,  and on the other side; biscuits and  cakes. And there they are – Grandma Wild’s Shortbread biscuits – again calorie free Dick has decided because he eats LOTS.

Bought your stamps, have you, and posted your parcels, had a chat with whoever in the family is behind the perspex shield? So move on with me round the centre aisle. Bread? Yes. Ibuprofen ? Yes.

Here are the fridge cabinets – independent cheese makers?  Oh, yes please, and there is wine for the evening, and in the cool cabinet behind which Jack is waiting are Jones’s deep pies. My friends, deep means deep. Chunky steak, and chunky chicken means chunky.  The best we’ve ever tasted, yes really. so home they come.

         

Then the ham. ‘Just two slices please, Jack.’

Swish goes the slicer. Something to read in the evening? A bookcase to your left as you wait to know  how much to pay. But you give what you want for the books, they are donated for charity. Raffles with proceeds to charity take place near to the hot food cabinet, which is empty  of pies, pasties and so on, once  the blokes in hi-viz jackets and others have popped in. Hot drink too? Here you go. There are knitted toys now Easter is entering people’s consciousness.

Chat chat to Jack, or whoever else is there, then home. On the way a neighbour shares with me that if a regular fails to appear the family make  sure all is well. My daughter came from the south to see us. ‘It looks like the front room of their house, and they treated us like friends come to see them for a chat.’

‘That, my girl,’ I said, ‘Is called a corner shop.’   ‘You must cherish it,’ she said. ‘Oh we do,’ I reassured her.

Carlton Miniott – lucky lucky us. We have a proper corner shop, one with a heart, one that every community should have.

 

Tim Sullivan My Writing Process

Posted on by

tim sullivan the patientI’ve always written. I wrote and directed my first short film at university and the writing followed on from there. I began writing screenplays with some success, starting in the late eighties with an adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s A Handful of Dust starring Kristen Scott-Thomas, James Wilby, Judi Dench and Alec Guinness. This was followed by an adaptation of EM Forster’s Where Angels Fear to Tread starring Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham-Carter and Judy Davis. I then wrote and directed Jack and Sarah with Richard E Grant, Samantha Mathis, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins. This led to a screenwriting career in America where I worked with many producers including Ron Howard, Scott Rudin and Jeffrey Katzenberg. I spent a year writing the screenplay for Shrek 4 before the studio decided to go in a different direction with the movie. My last two produced movies were Letters to Juliet starring Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave and last year My Little Pony – A new generation. I’ve always wanted to write novels, specifically crime and finally found the time. My series centres upon DS George Cross a socially awkward and sometimes difficult but brilliant detective. He is based in Bristol and has the best conviction rate in the force. His third outing The Patient is released by Head of Zeus on March 3rd.

tim sullivan the patient

What is your writing process?

I’m a morning writer. I find I get my best work done then. Ideas seem fresher and I have the energy to get going. I tend to re-read and edit in the afternoons.

Do you plan or just write?

With screenplays I definitely plan. You have to. But with crime novels I start knowing who has died and who’s done it, but I have no idea how to get there. This can make things complicated and it’s easy to lose faith when you’re not sure which way to go. But I think it means that George Cross, the audience and I are all discovering things at the same time. I think this gives the narrative a more convincing and interesting path.

What about word count?

This varies enormously. I write everything long hand in fountain pen before it gets anywhere near a computer. So, a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of around 2500.

What do you find hard about writing?

The beginning of a book is hard. Until I’ve reached 20,000 words I’m not really sure whether it’s going to be a book at all. I enjoy it a lot more after that. I find it hard not to write long meandering sentences but thankfully I have an eagle-eyed editor who keeps me on the straight and narrow or should I say within the margins.

What do you love about writing?

I used to find the solitary nature of it hard but now it’s possibly what I love about it the most

I love creating characters and relationships. Writing things that move me or make me laugh. 

It’s amazing how many times as a writer you can surprise yourself.

Advice for other writers.

Find the confidence to do it and sit down and write. Write for yourself before you write for anyone else. Sketch down ideas and scenes. Write clutches of dialogue as they come into your head. Don’t sit down and try and write a complete project. Play around a little.

And enjoy it. Everyone writes better when they enjoy what they’re doing.

www.timsullivan.uk

Instagram @timsullivannovellist

Twitter      @timjrsullivan

Facebook   @timjrsullivan

Tim Sullivan is the author of The Patient published by Head of Zeus 3rd March, £18.99