A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Despite my very best intentions, I haven’t fared too well at this challenge.  I mean, it was simple enough… “Move More, Sit Less” they said…. “Show us how you squeeze more activity into your day” they said.

And so I thought about it.  And I thought about it some more, and I spent so long thinking about it, that I didn’t really do a huge amount about it.  What is it they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions?  Oh yeah, that.

It’s not as if the plan doesn’t give you an incentive to exercise either.  You can earn activity propoints by working up a sweat before swapping them for normal propoints which is ideal if you’re a propoint or two short of that glass of wine you’ve been craving.  So why have I failed?  Well, I promised myself that last week would be the week I’d finally pull my running shoes back on.  The snow has cleared, the temperatures have risen a touch and the sun seems to be hanging on for just a little bit longer in the evenings.  Did I get out there for a run?  Did I naff.  I didn’t even drag myself out for a brisk walk!

So lame-ness aside, what did I do?  Well, I dusted off the Wii Fit in an attempt to alleviate some guilt.  I loaded up The Biggest Loser game (yeah, that’s me – and not in the positive sense of the expression), please excuse the feet, I’m surprised I was able to see them.

It was fun for about 5 minutes and then it actually started to burn a bit. Why can’t exercise just stay fun? Why does it have to start bloody hurting anyway?! I’ve learned that I can do a pretty mean squat, that my lunges are atrocious (I wobble all over), and that I need to wear my sports bra if they start with that jumping jack stuff again.

In all seriousness though, I banked two activity propoints through my efforts so it wasn’t all bad for a half hour routine.

My other efforts at increasing my exercise count involved a far more enjoyable play with my hoops!  The one in the photo below is my most recent acquisition, she’s smaller and faster and has white glitter tape, isn’t she pretty?  I still need more practice at keeping her up so I did end up moving back to a slower hoop that gave me more control, I’ll get better though!

I do find hooping far more enjoyable than other forms of exercise and I’ve been doing it (on and off) since last April but I’m not sure that it really gives me enough of a work out.  I’ve tried the weighted varieties (which make you sweat!) but I’ve read too much about the potential damage they can cause to want to go back to them.  I found it pretty difficult to gauge how many activity propoints I could bank with the hooping, but I let myself bank 3 propoints for 40 minutes, based on a rough 70kcal burned = 1 activity point rule.  I’ll have to use my heart rate monitor this week to see if I’m being too generous with myself!

It’s not always easy to find obvious ways to incorporate exercise into our busy schedules, 40-minutes of hooping is actually quite a large chunk of my free time, it’s just as-well I enjoy it!  If the weather is kind this week, I’ll be swapping the steering wheel for some cosy insoles and walking to pick Leila up from nursery.  I’ve got a pedometer* to ensure I don’t miss a trick and make the most of this additional activity.  If I’m doing it, you can bet I’ll be banking it on the Weight Watchers app!

How are your activity levels?  Are you skirting around some serious workouts like me or are you straight into building up a sweat?

* I am a Weight Watchers blog ambassador and my links to their website are affiliated.  I have received no payment for this post.  The pedometer mentioned is a press sample.

I took delivery of my new hula hoop yesterday – it’s very pretty, which I’m sure isn’t supposed to be the thing that I’m most fixated upon when it comes to exercise equipment.  After getting my interest piqued in the idea of taking it up as an exercise (thanks Cami) I went and bought a Casall Rock Ring but it gave me hella bruising and a back-ache that wasn’t subsiding and after speaking to a hooping guru (yes, there is such a thing!) on Twitter – she advised me that those super-heavyweight things with their bumps and nobbles can actually cause damage to your kidneys, spine and skin – I’ve since put it back in the box just in case.

Instead, she linked me to an Etsy shop (temporarily closed) that offers hoops suited to dance and general exercise and so I went ahead and ordered this one, let’s call her Sally.

Photo courtesy of Innerspiral here (and by courtesy, I mean flagrantly stolen)

Here she is in my photo… I would have taken a piccie of her in full circular glory but I hadn’t picked up Leila’s toys as you may notice from the tornado of multi-coloured, blurry crap in the background.

I love Sally.  She’s very springy and comfortably solid without being heavy.  At 40″ diameter, she’s pretty hefty (much like her owner) and everyone ducks for cover/moves glasses off tables/runs for their lives when I pull her out from behind the sofa.  She’s so much fun – fifteen-minutes of exercise infront of MTV has never flown by so quickly!  I’m a bit of a n00b at finding my rhthym but for once, I can do something better than my husband who basically turns into Mr. Bean.

I found this video last night and I am in awe…

…but I have to say, I got brought back down to earth with a bump on my funny bone when I read mixitango’s comment:

I wish I were tall and thin. Hula hooping is 57320x more elegant when you look like that.

I just look like a potato with a belt.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may be aware that I’m currently following the Cambridge Weight Plan.  I’ve been on it for almost 7 weeks and have lost just over 28lbs so far.

It wouldn’t be everyone’s choice to lose weight so quickly in such an extreme way and indeed, I have my own reservations about the cosmetic side effects that such rapid weight-loss may leave behind.  My biggest concern is keeping my body as toned as possible in an attempt to retain skin elasticity and firmness.

I’m no expert in how to achieve this but anything that claims that it can help me has my full attention.

I first came across Functionalab supplements in Harvey Nichols whilst I was having a look at some Nails Inc. polishes.  The first thing that drew me to the brand was the packaging.  Functionalab has curb appeal by the bucket load!

The brand’s Beauty Doses are presented in rather cute Erlenmeyer Bulbs.  Who knew laboratory glasswear could be so chic?!

The whole look is minimalist and doesn’t strike me as the usual holistic supplement brand.  I’m not only a supplement n00b, I’m also a skeptic.  I’ve written before about how I’m loathe to pay money for supplements that claim to achieve nothing that good old-fashioned diet and exercise can achieve.

That’s good, sensible advice right?  In fact, it’s just the kind my mother would give me.  My mother would raise an eyebrow to the ceiling if she knew how much I was handing over every week to my Cambridge Diet Counsellor.  “You’re paying them £40 a week… to help you diet?!”

“Yes, but they’re helping me do it in a quick, controlled way that I just can’t seem to achieve through normal healthy eating” would be my repsonse.  Regardless, that eyebrow of hers would stay raised.  I guess what I’m saying is… we’re all terribly tempted to take the path of least resistance through life.  Whether or not we should is immaterial… if it’s available to us and we can afford to do it, I’m starting to realise that it’s perhaps better not to judge one another’s choices.

So back to these Functionalab Beauty Doses… what are they and what do they claim to achieve?

Anything and everything (almost!).  You can purchase supplement solutions to help you lose weight, stay toned (as shown on the left), tan more successfully, encourage skin radiance and balance oily skin and that’s just a few of the available programmes!  There’s even a whole range of anti-aging supplements that promise to “help protect against the visible signs of aging” (we haven’t heard that one before right ladies?!)

Functionalab asked me if I’d like to try their Body Toning supplement programme after hearing me fret on Twitter about whether I’d be able to buy pockets big enough to stuff my excess skin into once I’d finished with this diet.  I was pleased to accept.  I’m hoping that by taking these supplements in conjunction with my newly discovered hatred for jogging 3x a week, OCD body moisturising and general boring scrunches and toning exercises… I may get away with a pair of very tight ‘hold it all in pants’ once  I reach goal weight.

Here comes the tricky part though… how do I review?  How do I judge whether or not the Functionalab Beauty Dose Body Toning supplements have actually done anything?  It’s going to have to involve instinct and finding the answer to the age old question:  Would I personally part with £32 a month until I’m through with this diet to continue on this course of supplements?

I’ll tell you more about the science and ingredients behind the cute packaging and tempting promises in my follow up post.  I have a month’s supply and I’m starting tomorrow.  I’m strangely excited at the prospect of popping these pills with every meal… I feel all space age and futuristic!  Heck, all my meals will come in powdered form next!  Oh wait…

‘Till next time! x