Tag Archives: Health

Holland & Barrett Summer Survival Kit

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miranda kerrFestival Favourites

 

 

Morning miracle: Vitamin C & Zinc Effervescent £3.35 for 20 tablets

Waking up in a tent isn’t ideal, particularly if the night before was a late one. If you have been partying hard and are feeling a little run down, reach for Holland & Barrett’s Vitamin C & Zinc Effervescent to help restore your immune system. Add one tablet to a bottle of water and you will feel refreshed and ready to take on what the day has to offer.

 

 

 

Hangover helper: Milk Thistle £21.99 for 200 capsules

Festivals are usually a celebration of music, friends and the summer season, which might lead to some over-indulgence! The liver is one of the body’s most important organs and works by neutralising chemical pollutants and alcohol so help maintain normal liver function with the natural herb Milk thistle. Take one capsule two to three times daily, preferably with meals.

 

 

 

Festival Fresh: Dr Organic Tea Tree Wipes £2.75 for 20

It’s no secret that festivals rank highly in the lack-of-cleanliness league table, so it’s important to find a convenient way to stay refreshed on the go! By packing Dr Organic Tea Tree Wipes, you will be able to freshen up in an instant. These wipes are free from any harsh chemicals, meaning they are revitalizing and offer antibacterial protection to keep you germ free. If you are prone to spots, particularly when you have to ditch your usual beauty regime, these wipes are particularly suitable for blemish prone skin, so you can use them to clean both your face and body.

 

 

Festival First Aid: Tea Tree Oil £3.99 for 10ml

If you are likely to get spots in the festival environment, or often find yourself with a bite or a sting, Holland & Barrett’s Tea Tree Oil is a must-have. Made from the Australian Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) this pure and natural oil has a spicy scent that is an essential for any festival wash bag. Known for its many topical uses, Tea Tree Oil can also be added to your post-festival bath water for its refreshing effects!

 

 

Easy Energisers: Mixed nuts & raisins £2.89 200g

Spending an excitable weekend away from your home comforts can take a toll on your body. Keep some tasty slow-release energy snacks in your backpack for a natural energy boost throughout the day, so you don’t miss out on any of the action. A delicious mix of Walnuts, Brazils, Almonds, Hazels, Peanuts, and Raisins, this go-anywhere pack is high in protein and makes a nutritious treat.

 

 

 

 

Caffeine Craving: Guarana Liquid £4.89 for 30ml

If snacks aren’t your thing, try adding Guarana Liquid to your refreshment of choice for a natural caffeine boost. Holland & Barrett’s Nutritionist Kate Butler BSC says: “Guarana naturally contains caffeine, which has a stimulatory effect that may help to support energy and alertness. Adding Guarana liquid to a beverage each day at the festival can be an easy way to boost your energy levels naturally.”

 

 

 

Beach Beauties

 

Summer scent: Pure Coconut Oil 453g Oil £14.99

The sweet aroma of coconut conjures up images of tropical holidays and relaxing on the beach. However, as well as being a tasty and nutritious ingredient and base for cooking, coconut oil can be used as an effective body moisturiser. This versatile oil is made from real coconuts and when applied, leaves the skin feeling soft and sweetly scented, perfect for getting in the mood for summer.

 

Within days of the 28 year old Victoria’s Secret model and wife of Orlando Bloom admitting she “cannot go a day without coconut oil”, sales at Holland & Barrett’s UK stores shot up by more than 50% on last year as customers clamoured for a slice of the supermodel’s secret. Miranda disclosed the information in interviews about how she has keeps fit and healthy following the birth of her son, stating “I personally take four tablespoons of coconut oil per day, either on my salads, in my cooking or in my cups of green tea.” Holland & Barrett’s Nutritionist Kate Butler said one of the reasons coconut oil was so popular was its multi-functional benefits when used on the skin, hair or eaten. “The small molecular structure of coconut oil allows for easy absorption through the skin, giving it a soft, smooth texture” said Kate. “This makes it an ideal ointment for the relief of dry, rough skin, and an effective after-sun lotion because it literally melts into your skin.  Coconut oil works wonderfully as a hair conditioner too as Miranda Kerr’s diet shows can be eaten on salads or used as a cooking oil”

 

Perfect Pins: Dr Organic – Royal Jelly Cellulite Cream 200ml Cream £9.29
This summer, it’s time to minimise that orange peel bottom and those wobbly thighs with a little help from the doctor! Dr Organic has a revolutionary cellulite cream which utilises unique properties found in the incredibly active ingredient and is formulated using researched and tested anti-cellulite extracts. The cream is designed to be massaged regularly into the affected area, supporting circulation and penetrating through subcutaneous fat cells trapped in the collagen and elastin fibres to give you luscious summer legs.

 

 

 

 

Enhance that sun kissed glow: Tan Tablets £5.99 for 60 capsules

Everyone loves returning to the office to an array of compliments about their sun kissed glow, so for a naturally longer lasting tan this summer try Holland & Barrett Tan Tablets. Containing key vitamins that are needed to achieve a deeper tan, PABA, L-Tyrosine and Copper, Tan Tablets can help you to develop a sun kissed look with a reduced amount of time in the sun. Kate Butler says “It’s well known that some sun exposure is good for us. It helps our bodies produce Vitamin D which in turn helps us absorb calcium, regulate blood pressure and even improve mood,  yet too much sun can harm the skin, with damage occurring in just minutes. Used responsibly with a little sun exposure, Tan Tablets provide the body with the nutrients it needs to help enhance a natural tan.”

 

 

 

Lose those extra pounds: African Mango capsules £9.99 for 60 capsules

As the dreaded bikini season draws ever closer try taking a slimming supplement such as African Mango alongside a healthy diet to help you feel confident when baring all. African Mango is thought to act as a natural appetite suppressant, supporting weight loss when used alongside a healthy diet. Studies have shown that seeds from the fruit cause significant weight loss and improve blood sugar levels. Trials carried out in 2005 and 2009; published in the Journal of Lipids in Health[i], found that participants taking an African Mango supplement before meals, three times a day, lost 5.3% of their body weight, compared to 1.3% of those taking a placebo. Holland & Barrett’s Nutritionist Kate Butler advises, “Initial clinical studies have shown that significant improvements in body weight and body fat, as well as in cholesterol and blood glucose levels, have been observed in individuals supplementing with African Mango.  Initial results appear promising and have set the precedence for further research.”

 

 

Soothe your skin: Aloe Vera Gel £3.49 for 100ml

The sun can be stronger than it often feels and after hours of basking in the heat, skin may become pink in colour.  To ease the sting of sun burn try rubbing some Aloe Vera Gel on to the sore areas. The cooling gel soothes the pain and also helps to speed up the healing process. As well as aiding with sunburn, Aloe Vera gel can help soothe the irritation of insect bites and heat rash which can be a common irritation in warmer climates.

Celebrity fan Jemma Kidd uses Aloe Vera Gel after being out in the sun to sooth and heal the skin: She says: ‘I religiously put it on when I’ve been in the sun. It’s so soothing and healing. We have hundreds of aloe plants in our garden and when we’re burnt we pick a leaf.’  

 

Holland and Barrett

Win a 3 month subscription to LivSmarter

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With summer here, it’s time for us men to peel off layers of clothing and reveal our bodies for the warmer months ahead. But while millions of the opposite sex have been dieting and heading to the gym, we are now rivaling them when it comes to getting in shape for beach season.

So to help out men across the country we’ve teamed up with LivSmarter, who are backed by celebrities such as John Thompson, and have brand new weight loss plans that have been created for men by men.

LivSmarter’s team of experts put together no-nonsense and discreet programmes that can help men get the results they want for the summer months.

Enter our competition to help you get the shape you want with a three month subscription to LivSmarter.

Q. Which of these are you most likely to find in a gym?

A. Cross Trainer

B. Van

C. A Horse

Comment below or Tweet your answer to @Frostmag

FucoCai Review

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I don’t really believe in diet pills and have never taken any but I am a big fan of natural remedies. So when I got some FucoCai to review I put my skepticism aside and decided to give it a go.

New Zealand superfoods specialists, Lifestream, have launched FucoCai for weight management. Billed as a ‘new super supplement to help make achieving the perfect, bulge-free bikini body that little bit easier’.

Lifestream call FucoCai ‘a unique blend of two botanicals that are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants vital to help protect the body against free radical damage caused by modern living. Additionally, together with a healthy diet and lifestyle, Lifestream FucoCai can help to support weight management’

So I started taking them. After a week I notice a difference to my skin. Many people tell me I am ‘glowing’. The tone of my skin improves, I feel I have more energy and some scars seem less prominent. I exercise while taking the pills by doing the Tracey Anderson method, but only three times a week for an hour (you are supposed to so 2 hours 6 days a week).

I do notice a difference while taking the pills. In fact I lost eight pounds in total. Would I have lost this weight anyway? I actually don’t think so. I put weight on when I was doing a film and found the last stone quite difficult to get rid of. I am also an apple, which means when I put weight on it goes to my stomach, so that is where I could not get rid of the weight, and most of it was gone by the time the pills ran out. And the last was gone thanks to my Zaggora hotpants. So how do they work?

They are packed with the plant carotenoid Fucoxanthin and naturally rich in iodine, a nutrient thought to be effective in normalising thyroid function and energy-yielding metabolism*. Lifestream FucoCai has been specifically formulated to help users achieve a healthy weight, and contains:

Laminaria Japonica (kombu) – a seaweed native to Japan, Kombu contains the active mineral Fucoxanthin which studies suggest could help support weight management** boost the metabolism and may help to support balanced blood sugar levels. In water, kombu also forms a thick gel enabling it to function as a bulking agent to enhance bowel regularity

Acai berries – organically grown in Brazil, the super berry Acai boasts antioxidant capabilities greater than that of other berries such as cranberry, raspberry and blueberry. Naturally rich in flavonoids and polyphenols and bursting with vitamins and minerals, acai is particularly useful for those putting their bodies through the rigours of a new health and fitness regime.

Fucoxanthin is thought to be one of the most exciting natural compounds discovered to date in the fight against obesity. The carotenoid gained notoriety when a group of Japanese marine biologists discovered that it could help white fat cells mimic the thermogenic behaviour of brown fat cells, ultimately resulting in a safe increase in metabolic rate and fat burning in the use ***.

Since then, studies have identified Fucoxanthin as a critical adjunct in enabling a controlled diet and increased level of physical activity to produce meaningful fat loss, even in ageing humans who as a result of reduced metabolic rate can find weight management a challenge.

Formulated without artificial additives, preservatives, colours or flavours, Lifestream FucoCai is vegan, and free from gluten, dairy, yeast, nuts and other allergens.

Lifestream FucoCai is available from all good health food stores, and online at www.grumpygorilla.co.uk, and costs £24.75 (RRP) for 90 vegetarian capsules (one month’s supply). For further information, visit www.healthyfoodbrands.co.uk.

BBC Dragons’ Den star Kirsty Henshaw takes on the UKs top selling ready meals

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BBC Dragons’ Den star Kirsty Henshaw takes on the UKs top selling ready meals with a new range launching in Sainsbury’s, July 2012

Working mum Kirsty Henshaw, 26, shot to fame when her allergen-free dessert range – inspired by her food intolerant son, Jake – won over Dragons’ Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne in 2010.

Today, Kirsty is taking on the UKs top selling ready meals, introducing her range of healthier, irresistibly delicious and naturally nutritious chilled everyday meals.

The new range is super-charged with goodness; each meal is lovingly made up of nutrient-rich ingredients such as quinoa, aduki beans, brown rice and lentils to help you live life to the full.

Kirsty has created natural food swaps to provide healthier alternatives, and uses brown rice instead of white and sweet potato instead of white potato mash. Sugar has been replaced with natural Agave syrup for fewer calories. The meals are also free from wheat, dairy, lactose and nuts so they are suitable for everyone.

Kirsty adds: “A lot of ready meals on the market appear healthy however they are often packed with high levels of saturated fat, sugar or artificial flavours.”

“This new range is about providing people with something that is genuinely healthy as an alternative, and most importantly the meals taste fabulous!”

The meals have a low ‘green light’ for saturated fat and sugar content and have been designed to give a happy balance between salt levels and taste, they use natural sea salt and will at most register an ‘amber light’. At least one portion of your five day is provided for and the meals are low in calories (ranging from 276 to 420 for a Chicken Tikka Masala).

Kirsty’s chilled everyday meals will be available to purchase at Sainsbury’s nationwide from July 2012; the range includes:

ü Moroccan Vegetables with Brown Rice and Quinoa

ü Sausage with Onion Gravy and Carrot, Sweet Potato & Potato Mash

ü Chicken Tikka Masala with Brown Rice

ü Cottage Pie with British Beef mince and topped with Sweet Potato, Carrot & Potato Mash

The kirstys.co.uk website, which Kirsty has designed with her father, Darren a nutritionist and homeopath who runs health shop Aphrodite in Penwortham Lancs.

Zaggora Hotpants Review: Do They Work?

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I have heard of leggings and tight with special technology that makes people slimmer or improves cellulite, but I have never heard of a product which claims it can do it that has such a following. Zaggora have over 250,000 likes on Facebookand have sold over 420,000 pairs of their ‘HotPants’

The Hotpants have Celu‐Lite™ technology which increases core body temperature while being active leading to increase in calorific expenditure during and after working out as well as short-term weight loss immediately following working out. The Celu-lite technology has specifically designed lining which insulates and increases heat generation during working out to deliver better results in the short and long-term.

So, that is the science over, but do they work?

I have been exercising to lose the last bit of extra weight I still had from Christmas (ahem) and there was just this bit from my stomach that would not budge. I tried everything; working out 6 days a week, not eating dessert, spanx, but it would not budge. Until the hotpant. I decided to do the two-week challenge, but to be honest, I did not need the other week.

All I did was exercising in them three times that week for one hour and wore them (underneath my clothes) for another day. I lost about 2 inches from my waist and an inch and a half from my hips. My legs are also slimmer. The little bit of annoying weight in my stomach has gone. The hotpants would also be amazing in winter: brilliant thermals!

I recommend these. I don’t know if you could just wear them and sit around the house, but as long as you exert yourself in them they definitely work. You can even wear them doing housework. They at least double the benefits of your workout.

Zaggoro Hotpants: Frost loves.

[Disclaimer: I received a free pair of hotpants to review]

St Ives Event at The Hospital Club

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Last week I went to two Handpicked Media events. This one and this equally amazing St Ives event at The Hospital Club.

St Ives Apricot scrub has always been my favourite facial scrub. It is a high-end scrub with a budget price. I have been buying it for years. I did get a goodie bag with the scrub inside and I am doing their 7 day challenge. My skin is already glowing.

PSYCHOLOGIES Beauty Director Emine Rushton gave an amazing beauty talk, apparently the Egyptians used to exfoliate with a pumice stone! Ouch. Oh, and they still use Cochineal (E120 on ingredients list) which is the ‘crushed carcasses of the female Dactylopius coccus, a cactus-feeding scale insect’. Nice.

There were Apricot based cocktails and I tried them all. Another blogger also won the cute edible tree below. Brilliant night.

Boris Johnson’s Workout Secrets. (Yes, Really)

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THE WINNERS WORKOUT


Boris Johnson’s personal trainer, Jon Denoris reveals the secrets behind Boris’s workout routine

After a month working with his new personal trainer, Jon Denoris, the new Mayor of London Boris Johnson can do 100 push up’s p/session, has lost 8kg and three inches of his waistband, as well as making significant life changes.

As part of Jon’s new ‘Pop Up Gym’ initiative to improve fitness and office diets in preparation for 2012 London Olympics, he has released a bespoke workout plan; similar to Boris Johnson’s to help readers get fit at work.

7AM – Power Smoothie

Blend two scoops of strawberry whey protein, two tablespoons of bio yoghurt, a handful of granola and a cup of skimmed milk. Add ice to finish. Drink one third immediately.

7.30AM – Clock-face drill

A simple ten-minute exercise routine. Begin in the starting position for a press-up, spin your body round like clock hands with your bellybutton as the axis. Randomly choose clock-face positions to spin to.

7.40AM – Power Smoothie

Finish the Power Smoothie made earlier.

8AM – Commute

In honour of our new mayor, take a Boris bike to work or walk at a brisk pace.

11AM – Desk based exercise

Break up your morning with a quick ten-minute stretch.

With your left hand, grip the underside of your chair. Slide to the right hand side of your chair and then pull down with your left arm. Whilst doing this, turn your head to the right and place your right hand on your head. Apply gentle pressure before swapping.

11.10AM – Snack

Elevenses are the highlight of most office workers’ mornings. Ensure that your meal contains a combination of protein and carbohydrates, such as peanut butter on wholegrain toast, orange segments and cottage cheese or nuts and an apple.

1PM – Lunchtime workout

If the office doesn’t subscribe to the Pop Up Gym classes, Denoris recommends a circuit based routine designed to be done in the office or in a nearby park. Do 20 reps for each exercise and then repeat as many times as possible in half anhour.

· Body weight squats. With your hands across your chest and your backside stickingout, lower your thighs so that they are parallel to the floor. Hold and then rise slowly.

· T-stand push-ups. When at the top of your push-up, rotate the body and stretch one arm out to the side and then up to the sky. Follow by switching sides.

· Lateral lunges. Begin by standing with both legs together and then lunge sideways, bending your knees. Follow by touching your feet with both hands, keeping the trailing leg straight. Return to a standing position before alternating legs.

· Single-arm rowing. Once squatting, lean forwards, sticking your bum out until it is 45degrees to the floor. Whilst using one arm to stabilise yourself, pick up your bag and lift it up and down ten times. Then alternate.

· Bicycle kicks. Lying on your back, cradle your head with your hands. Bring your shoulder blades off the ground whilst bending your knees. Alternate, touching each elbow to the opposite knee.

1.45PM –Lunch

Aim for a vegetable and protein-rich lunch. For example, two grilled mackerel fillets on a bed of spinach, with olive oil and lemon to taste.

4PM – Desk stretch

Place your left leg on a chair or staircase. Bend your knee, extend your right arm until vertical and pulse forwards until you feel a gentle stretch through the hip. Alternate sides.

4.10PM – Snack

Similar to the morning snack, mix up protein with carbohydrates. Denoris suggests pitta bread and tuna or a hard-boiled egg and a whole wheat bagel.

6.30PM – Commute home

Again on a bike or walking.

7.30PM – Dinner

Denoris recommends chicken stir-fried in peanut oil with garlic chilli soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and basil leaves. Serve with brown rice.

00.00AM – Bedtime

Constantly restricting sleep is an easy way to gain weight. Keep your sleep and waking times consistent. Aim for between six to eight hours a night.

Does the packaging in your bin annoy you?

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Does the packaging in your bin annoy you?

Packaging is funny stuff. No-one goes out to buy it; they go to buy the things inside. And by the time you get it home, and remove (or use up) the contents of the pack, it has worked quite hard.

But most of what it does is invisible to consumers. We don’t see products stacked meters high in warehouses, stacked on an open dockside in the heat or shaken about in the back of a lorry. Even a humble crisp packet, which uses the tiniest amount of material, performs a number of jobs to ensure that crisps are crisp, not stale, and not crushed into tiny bits.

There has been lots of publicity recently for the huge quantity of food we waste in the UK each year. Wasting food is an environmental disaster, not least because all of the energy and other resources that went into growing, processing, storing and transporting it are also wasted, along with the food itself. But few of us probably realize that if the UK’s packaging and distribution system was not as sophisticated and technologically advanced as it is, there would be far more food waste.

Most food just would not be available without packaging – sliced bread, yogurt, frozen peas, rice, jam, cream cake. Packaging continually responds to changes in life style – smaller portions for people living alone; prepared microwavable vegetables for time-poor people and those who want to reduce cooking energy – in a way that few other industries have done.

Twenty years ago there was roughly the same amount of packaging in your bin as there is today, but it would have been generated by far fewer goods. That’s because manufacturers and retailers keep doing more with less, reducing the resources used to provide the same (or better) protection, information and hygiene.

On average just 1% of packaged food is wasted compared to 10% of food sold loose. That’s because packaged food does not get damaged in the supply chain and it lasts longer on the shelf.

The public mistakenly sees the packaging in their bin as a sign of failure, but over 80% of packaging can easily be recycled so clean paper, cardboard, glass, metals and plastic bottles should be put in recycling boxes, not rubbish bins. However, even non-recyclable packaging is – in the big picture of total resources used – helping to avoid waste. It also makes much of modern life possible – take-away coffee, ready-made sandwiches, microwaveable meals.

We should learn to love packaging – it’s helping to reduce waste and improve both choice and convenience. How many products can claim that?